addiction

Has anyone been in a romantic relationship with an addict? I was with my ex for 5 years, 3 years in he lost his mother & after that things spiraled out of control. He was so well at hiding it, I didn't find out for the first few months. I would just like to hear other stories, I don't know anyone who's been in the same situation, and even though it's been just about a year that we've broken up, in still effected by it.