I wanted to order baby rings for my 2 older granddaughters. It was while I was looking that I came to the realization that mine are gone. I knew my engagement ring and wedding band were gone, but just realized that my 2 baby rings that I could have passed onto my grandchildren were in
Over the years I have been told numerous times – You should write a book. Looking back and knowing what I now know, the things that were so foreign to me, my family and my friends, was “normal” when dealing with a loved ones addiction. I knew that there were meetings that I could have
My son has had another first! A good first. He brought 2 of his children with him to just visit, not to say I’ll be back in an hour but to actually stay and visit. There has been a little mother nagging going on about this. You see I hear all the time how I
Life with my son is like a roller coaster. There are so many slow climbs to the top and a few giant drops. I feel as though those descents, however bad they are at the time, actually teach me something and give me strength. Sometimes it also teaches my son something about life and people.
It’s hard to give up on your dreams. I am trying to come to grips with this right now. My husband and I have always dreamed of moving to New Orleans area. 6 years ago I purchased a piece of property to start inching towards our goal. At that point in time we had 1
These past few days have been the perfect example of how it is to be the mother of an addict. My son has been clean and sober for 18 months but still has the personality traits that he had when he was in active addiction. He still has the temper, the “me first” attitude, the
Holidays can be joyful but they can also be stressful. Stress causes a lot of things. As the mother of an addict the stress I worry about is the stress on my son. He has been in recovery for over a year but the holidays bring with them a great amount of temptation along with
I am learning each day how my children are all so different. I have set different boundaries for each as they have for me. Since I was a very hands on Mom I’ve become a very Hands On Grandmother. It’s just fine with my daughters but not so much with my son. It brings to
Do I go cold turkey—to borrow a recovery phrase—or cut them off in baby steps? Do I continue to pay for things that support a drug-free lifestyle, like substance abuse counseling, sober living houses, rehab costs or sever all financial ties? What if they can’t afford to eat? What if they’re in withdrawal and ask
How often do you go out of your comfort zone? Do you ever wish that you could or would try something new? I know I do and recently I’ve gotten better at challenging myself, after all we only get one shot at this life and I really hope I don’t give up my dreams for
https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/treatments/ In the past, society viewed drug addiction as a moral flaw. Popular “treatments” involved imprisonment, sentencing to asylums, and church-guided prayer. Not surprisingly, these methods were generally ineffective. Today we understand that addiction is a brain disease characterized by fundamental and long-lasting changes in the brain. Modern treatments are based on scientific research. Treatment
I have found that I live with 2 faces, 2 distinct lives. There is the life as a mother of an addict and the life where I pretend everything is perfect. Until recently most people never saw the mother of an addict they only saw the mother of 3 with the great husband living a
I think that my son really has gotten it! Sticking to boundaries are easy though when they are working. It’s when they aren’t working that I feel the stress. But I am so very glad that I stuck to them about watching the kids at the last minute and every weekend. Once he took the
I really think it’s finally sinking in! Yes, boundaries do work if you don’t give up. I have been trying for so long to get my son to stop badgering me when I say I can’t do something for him. Recently it’s been watching his kids. Every day it’s another request and another outburst when