RHOSLC & RHOC: Parallels between two very different sobriety journeys

Whitney Rose’s storyline this season on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has revolved around getting her dad help, and we appreciate her for sharing.

Watching Whitney Rose deal with her father’s addiction issues is a refreshing change from some of the other franchises.  On The Real Housewives of Orange County right now, we are dealing with Braunwyn Windham-Burke dealing with her own struggles with sobriety, albeit in a much different way.  On The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Whitney is opening up about her dad’s real-life struggles like sobriety.

Steve Lesh, Whitney’s father, is currently in sober living after struggling to stay clean.  Whitney mentioned that Steve had a drink at her vow renewal party and wanted to get sober again.  At the sober living facility, Steve has been working on himself but Whitney wants more from him.  It sounds like Steve wants more from himself, too.  “I want to get back in the game.  Pick up my career and my salon.”

While Whitney seems to want that for him, too, Steve seems to think that Whitney needs to pay for this opportunity for him.  “I want to be in a position where I help you because I want to help you, not because you feel entitled to it because I’m your daughter,” she told him.  Steve said he felt like a burden to Whitney and her husband, but that he wanted to do better in the future.

Steve’s story is not far off from what Braunwyn has been sharing on her franchise.  A lot of viewers, and co-stars, think that Braunwyn is being selfish in telling the world she isn’t attracted to her husband and wants to be with women.  Steve is telling Whitney that he wants her to pay for his new life because he thinks she owes it to him.  In the world of sobriety, it seems that selfish behaviors are a common theme.

It is clear that Whitney wants to help her father, but she wants him to help himself too.  Braunwyn accuses Sean Burke of enabling her and blames him for a lot of her problems, and it seems Whitney recognizes the differences between helping someone and enabling someone.  Steve and Braunwyn are the only ones responsible for their sobriety, and placing that responsibility on someone else is irresponsible.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is on Bravo every Wednesday at 10 PM.