It isn’t my job to keep the peace of those who have caused chaos in my life. When the holidays come so does added stress for everyone. It’s not easy when you child is not included in family plans. It hurts. Not just him but me too. On one level I can understand but because
As time moves on life gets in the way of our best intentions. This past year has been a blur. We have all struggled through COVID19 and the impact it has had in our lives. We have watched those we love get sick, possibly die and restrictions on our lives to help stop the spread.
The holidays have ended and although we couldn’t all be together there were lots of happy memories made. We now have seven grandchildren so I was going for organized chaos. 6 of them live nearby and the 7th about 1200 miles away. This year we were spending Christmas with my daughter’s family 1200 miles away.
The past few weeks I haven’t been able to write. I haven’t cared to write. I just wanted to curl up in my own little cocoon. My world just seemed so overwhelming. It was too much for me to add writing and exposing my fears to my days at work. Evenings were needed for
Today my son turned 33. Age is just a number but also a barometer of how long he’s been struggling with addiction. 15 years, a very very long time. Within those years we’ve gone without knowing where he was, taking him to numerous rehabs, meeting with numerous counselors, setting up sober living houses, receiving phone
Christmas, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving are fast approaching. Holidays can be especially difficult for someone in recovery. The holidays are times of parties and parties a lot of the time involve drinking. Not just the parties but the family dinners, gift giving etc. All these things can cause a tremendous amount of stress. Stress is a
I feel as though I’m very lucky right now. It didn’t always feel this way. Those close to me just didn’t understand addiction, well really neither did I. But I was thrust into learning and learning quickly all I could about the subject. I read whatever I could find and learned so much. I felt
Avoiding relapse isn’t easy. It takes a lot of work and determination. You need to believe in yourself and know that you are worth it! Recovery can be the pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow. Along the way you will hit a lot of bumps. How you negotiate the path you are
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
Holidays can be both fun and stressful. Which was yours? I hope you were able to find a little bit of peace and relaxation for yourself. I was blessed to have all 3 of my children home and to share the day with friends and family. It was wonderful to see the little ones playing
Our son is in recovery, he has to my best estimate, 12 months clean. I know that he relapsed last June when my Father, his grandfather, passed away. He has made a lot of changes in this past year, some good and some not as good. He found out last June that he had a
This is Memorial Day weekend, a holiday to celebrate with family and friends. But what if your family doesn’t want your addict son or daughter at their house? Do you still go? Do you stay home? Do you make other plans? It’s hard to know the right thing to do. You hate to see your
The hardest thing I had to do was apply for a visitor pass at the county prison. I didn’t feel like I would make it through the day, but I did. And it wasn’t as bad the next time. Yes sadly there was a next time. But those 16 felonies were knocked down to just