I remember the “aha moment” very clearly. My wife and I were going away for the weekend and needed somebody to take care of our three cats. My mother is usually our go-to person for that task, but she had a lot on her plate that weekend and I didn’t want to add to it. So I asked my son if he and his girlfriend wanted to stay at our house for the weekend and take care of the cats.
Continue Reading Addiction is a brain disease and it makes people do some crazy things. Things they wouldn’t normally do. When this finally clicked with me, it became much easier to forgive my son and let go of those events of the past. I no longer had to carry them around with me and let them eat away at me.
Continue Reading As parents, when our children are born we become providers of unconditional love. It’s one of the qualifications listed in the job description for “Parent” (or at least it should be). We give life to a new human being and are responsible for their well-being. We know that our child won’t be perfect, but we also know that we will love them no matter what.
Continue Reading During Recovery Month, we need to remember that, as a nation, our goal should be to work diligently to inspire the 20 million people in the United States who are suffering in silence to seek the treatment they need. We need to get the word out that addiction and mental illness can happen to anyone. But, more importantly, that anyone can be a Hero in Recovery. There’s no cape required.
Continue Reading So I decided to stop feeding the stigma and do the opposite: I set out to break the stigma. I became totally transparent, started a personal blog about my experiences with my son, and shared with the world. By speaking out openly and honestly, I was able to extricate the shame from my emotional vault and start to heal. I felt a tremendous weight lifted from my body as I began my own recovery.
Continue Reading Having a child who suffers from addiction definitely wakes you up. Sure, addiction in the family can be—and more often than not is—a roller coaster ride. But it can also help you prioritize your life. It can help you learn to live in the moment and appreciate the positive things that happen each day. And it can teach you to let go of the small stuff and place your focus on the most important thing in your life: your family.
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