PAL Blog
A Parent’s Story
Articles by Parents Like You
We Finally Found Our Community
For years, I believed my son's addiction was my problem to solve. Finding PAL helped me realize it wasn't. I have four children, two biological and two adopted. One of my sons, whom I'll call Ethan, has struggled with addiction for much of his life. Ethan is an...
The Apples on His Dresser
I am married with three adult children—one daughter and two sons—and I have three grandchildren. Years ago, I divorced my first husband because of his addictions. At the time, my oldest son was young, and I spent nearly a decade raising my two children as a single...
The Son We Knew, The Disease We Didn’t Understand
My husband and I have been married for 31 years and have two children. Our younger son, Mark, is the subject of this story. For much of his childhood and teenage years, Mark was the kind of son every parent hopes for. He was a good student, active in sports and music,...
The View from Recovery
Articles by People in Recovery
A Season of Letting Go
Fall has always felt like a season that gives us permission to let go. The trees don’t fight to hold onto every leaf. They release what has run its course, not because the tree is dying, but because another season is coming. I wish I had understood that kind of...
When Guilt Becomes Your Story
For almost thirty years, I was convinced that I was the reason. I was eleven years old when my family was involved in a car accident that took the life of my older sister and left my mother with injuries she would ultimately die from six years later. Two hours before...
When Hope Feels Exhausting
There was a time in my life when I was convinced that Hope was something I had run out of. I couldn't imagine a future much different from the life I was living. Every promise I made to myself seemed to end the same way. Every attempt to change felt temporary. Every...
From Counselors
Articles by PAL and Partner Counselors
This May Help(2 Cardinal Rules)
The Two Cardinal Rules One of the most difficult parts of loving someone struggling with addiction is knowingwhen to help and when to step back. PAL Founder Mike Speakman taught two simple guidelines that can help parentsrespond thoughtfully rather than react...
When Fall Arrives
Adapted from The Four Seasons of Recovery for Parents of Alcoholics and Addicts by Michael Speakman When Fall Arrives Autumn reminds us that change is part of every season. In The Four Seasons of Recovery, Michael Speakman encourages parents to ask a simple question...
When Hope Feels Heavy
Adapted from The Four Seasons of Recovery for Parents of Alcoholics and Addicts by Michael Speakman, PAL Founder There is a season that many parents know all too well. It is the season when hope feels heavy. Not gone. Not absent. Just heavy. When a loved one is...
