PAL Blog
A Parent’s Story
Articles by Parents Like You
How Faith and Education Helped Me Find Purpose and Joy Again
I am the mother of two grown children, a daughter and a son. I have one grandson and two granddaughters. My husband and I have been married for 40 years. Growing up, my children were involved in several sports and activities, and we were very involved in our...
Breathing Again : Reclaiming Life and Joy Despite Uncertainty
I am free today of the trauma I carried far too long. I am a parent of an adult son who has substance use disorder. My son is 39 years old and has been a polysubstance abuser for 25 years. Much of that time he has been unhoused. Shane has had type 1 diabetes since...
Transforming Heartache into Hope
I’m a single mom and grandma. I have 2 beautiful daughters and a granddaughter. My daughter who struggled with alcohol was so smart, a straight A student and super athletic. She did everything: soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, Taekwondo, track, AND basketball. ...
The View from Recovery
Articles by People in Recovery
When Loneliness Becomes Strength How a Broken Christmas Sparked My Renewal
“These are the only genuine ideas; the ideas of the shipwrecked. All the rest is rhetoric, posturing, farce.” Jose Ortega y Gasset. I’ve spent holidays in detoxes. I’ve spent them in hospitals. I’ve spent them alone. I’ve spent them in cynicism and...
Honoring Friendships: The Simple Smiles That Spark Change
In 2014, I went to treatment in Prescott, AZ. After a long string of failed attempts at getting clean, it felt like my last hope, and for whatever reason, I felt a spark of inspiration when this opportunity presented itself to me. Removing myself from my...
Changing Others
Ask your self I learned several things reading Stage II Recovery by Ernie Larson. This book was written for those in recovery as they take the next steps to really change their lives. However, I have found it to be very helpful to parents and others who...
From Counselors
Articles by PAL and Partner Counselors
Holiday Harmony: Crafting a Plan to Handle Holiday Triggers
With December upon us and the holidays closing in, it is very important to recognize all the various emotions and thoughts that take place during these last months of the year. The holiday season tends to be commercialized as a time of joy, celebration, and family...
Accepting Help is Still Very Possible
Feeling helpless and hopeless in trying to save loved ones who believe they do not need help is one of the most disheartening aspects of the disease that families endure in dealing with mental health/addiction. As the growing number of individuals struggling with...
California Sober
There are some concepts in the field of addiction and recovery that have become outdated with time. For example, the consensus decades ago was that the only true path to recovery from addiction were 12-Step fellowships (like Alcoholics Anonymous). We now know that...
