PAL Blog
A Parent’s Story
Articles by Parents Like You
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. ...
I was afraid and it kept me from making changes
YESTERDAY: I was broken. My wife and I were not seeing eye to eye on how to parent our addicted son. I had a brother who died from an overdose many years ago and I did not want to have a repeat of that. I could not let go of trying to control the outcome –...
The View from Recovery
Articles by People in Recovery
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...
Every Second Counts: Embrace Life’s Struggles and Triumphs
I couldn’t tell you exactly what the catalyst was for me. For true change. For recovery. Sometimes it feels like luck. Working in behavioral health, I’m confronted with tragic outcomes and end stages of addiction and mental illness consistently. It can be...
From Counselors
Articles by PAL and Partner Counselors
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There are some concepts in the field of addiction and recovery that have become outdated with time.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...
Parents Can Have An Impact
Generally, we publish blogs that focus on parents with adult children that are suffering from addiction. This month’s article focuses on teens and how substance abuse gets started and what you can do. We appreciated the message and the resource, and we hope it will...
