It ALWAYS Goes Back to the Same Old Thing

It ALWAYS Goes Back to the Same Old Thing

From Inside The Mind Of An Addict by Amber Hollingsworth

May 27, 2026 · 41 min

About this episode

Amber Hollingsworth explores the cycle of bargaining in relationships affected by addiction and how it impacts emotional well-being.

If you've ever found yourself having the same conversation, the same argument, or making the same promises over and over again, you're not alone. One of the most frustrating parts of loving someone with an addiction is feeling like you're trapped in a cycle that never changes. You see glimpses of hope. You watch them do well for a while. Then somehow, everything circles right back to where it started. In this episode, Amber Hollingsworth takes a closer look at what's really keeping that cycle alive. Spoiler alert: it's not just the drinking, drug use, or addictive behavior. At the heart of it all is bargaining. The person struggling with addiction bargains constantly: "I'll quit after this weekend." "I'll cut back." "I'll prove I can handle it." But family members often get pulled into their own version of bargaining: "If they really understood how much this hurts me, they'd stop." "If they finally face enough consequences, they'll change." "If I could just get their dad to stop enabling." "If I could just get them into treatment." Sound familiar? Amber breaks down how bargaining shows up on both sides of the relationship, why it keeps everyone stuck, and how it quietly drains…

People in this episode

Host: Amber Hollingsworth

Topics covered

  • addiction
  • bargaining
  • relationships
  • emotional well-being
  • cycles of addiction

Keywords

  • addiction
  • bargaining
  • emotional health
  • relationships
  • cycles
  • hope
  • consequences

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