repost – detaching with love by Fran Simone Phd

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/family-affair/201506/detaching-love-0 Like thousands before me who visited the Academia in Florence, Italy, I was astounded by the magnificence of Michelangelo’s statue of David. Yet, I was most taken with the artist’s statues of four Prisoners or Slaves, his “non-finito” (incomplete) works. The Prisoners consist of four nudes with only parts of their bodies, like the head or leg,

Defying Manipulation

The only time he calls is when he needs something from me. This morning I did not respond to his text message of “call me”. Why should I? It’s so frustrating. I would love if he called or texted and just said, “Hey Mom, just checking in, hope everything is ok, can I do anything

I know what it feels like

I know how you feel because I feel the same things. I know the pain you’re feeling because I too feel the pain. I know what it’s like to see them walk out the door not knowing if you’ll ever see them again. I know the excitement that this will be the time he stays

Families & Addiction – Repost from Dr Steven Melemis

Repost – from Dr. Steven M. Melemis https://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/families-and-addiction.htm Help for Families With Addiction An addiction destroys families as much as it destroys individuals. Living with an addict is both heartbreaking and exhausting. Family members are torn between how to help the addict and how to avoid being sucked into the addict’s world. Here are some

Drug Use & Families

We can all use information from reputable sources to help us understand how addiction impacts families. Remember that you’re not alone. The following article from NCADD provides an overview and some helpful links. https://www.ncadd.org/family-friends/there-is-help/family-disease Addiction is a family disease that stresses the family to the breaking point, impacts the stability of the home, the family’s

Fighting the Labels and Stigma of Addiction

  I find myself talking about the bad things that happen because of my son’s addiction. I talk about lying, stealing, yelling, homelessness, selfishness and so much more but there is also the part of my son that is good. The part that loves his family, the part of him that wants to stay sober,

Simple Moments

We had a great night with both of our granddaughters. We took them to a local carnival. One is our son’s and the other is our daughter’s, both are expecting new little ones in September and October. These two are 3 + 2 years old. I get to spend alot of time with the 3

Our Son is in Recovery

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

Why Am I Afraid

I read something today that really hit home to me. I started thinking about what I am afraid of. The truth is I think I’m most afraid of letting my children down, any of them, not just my son who is an addict. I think I want to do everything I can to be there

Other Family Members Part 1

I know that I’ve been primarily writing about my son but there are other things that go on in my life as well. Just as everyone has multiple things going on all the time. Sometimes they overlap and sometimes they do not. As the Mother of three I am surrounded by three different life stories

Opinions of others

There are so many days that give me mixed feelings. Sometimes I’m blindsided by things that happen but it’s always living in a constant state of stress and anxiety. I feel like I’m always on the edge. Always waiting for the next catastrophe. I’m lucky to have a way to express how I’m feeling and

Another resource for Addiction Recovery – Drug Court

Another Resource for Addiction Recovery My daughter is the administrator for Drug Court in Louisiana. There are Drug Courts available in many if not most states. I have asked her to write information for my blog, giving my readers another resource to help their loved ones. I’m including linking to the National Drug Court Program

Family Ties

I must say that even after all that we’ve been through as a family I am amazed and proud of how we have stuck together. Even when the girls were mad at their brother they may have expressed their disapproval with our choices but it hasn’t hurt our relationship with them. Being able to talk

A Balancing Act living with an Addict

I was thinking about how we manage to be there for each of our children when an addict takes up so much of our time, thoughts and actions. It makes me feel guilty sometimes that so much of my thoughts are about how we can help him without enabling, should we do this, should we