PAL Blog
A Parent’s Story
Articles by Parents Like You
I found the strength to hope for my son’s recovery—and for my own
I am the mother of eight children. Heartbreakingly, more than one of them has struggled with addiction. Today, I want to share a piece of our journey—specifically that of my child, Shane, who is currently in the throes of severe substance use. Shane was a bright,...
When All Seemed Lost, PAL Offered Us Hope
My wife and I have been married for 55 years and sadly, addiction has been a part of my family for much of that time. I have two sons, my youngest died in 2002 from septic poisoning from a dirty drug needle. I also have four 4 grandchildren, two of whom live with...
Finding Understanding Friends and Greater Peace
My wife and I wanted to have children, but we had infertility problems. We lived in Europe for over a year, and many people were praying that we might be able to have children. It was incredibly exciting when, on the very day we returned to the U.S., we discovered...
The View from Recovery
Articles by People in Recovery
Relapse is not the end of the story
When I walked through the doors of recovery 18 years ago, I carried more than just my addiction. I carried shame, fear, and the heavy question of whether change was really possible for someone like me. Over the years, I’ve learned something important: relapse does not...
A Day in the Life: From Pain to Purpose
When I woke up today, sunlight streams gently through my curtains. It’s quiet, peaceful even. There’s a cup of coffee waiting to be brewed, a gentle moment to breathe deeply and take time to be grateful, and a calendar filled with purpose. As I sit in gratitude for...
Sobriety Wasn’t the Finish Line—It Was the Starting Point
When I got sober, I thought I had arrived. I imagined that crossing that line, finally removing the substances, meant the hard part was over. But I quickly realized that stopping wasn’t the end. It was the beginning. Sobriety wasn’t a finish line; it was the moment I...
From Counselors
Articles by PAL and Partner Counselors
The Transtheoretical Model for Behavioral Change and Its Application for Parents of Addicted Loved Ones
The Transtheoretical Model for Behavioral Change is a framework that seeks to explain how individuals move through the process of changing unhealthy ways of coping behaviors toward more positive choices. It is used for many problem areas (i.e. smoking cessation,...
Understanding Addiction
Addiction starts with our brain, and I find it helps to imagine that our brain is like a dog driving a Tesla. One part of our brain is extremely advanced (the prefrontal cortex) – this is the part that allows us to do all sorts of complex things other animals can’t,...
Facing Powerlessness
As the loved one of a person struggling with an addiction, it is so easy to stay focused on their recovery. Some pray to God over and over again to heal them, to make it stop, to give us wisdom on how to help them. And these are good things to do, we are looking for...
