PAL Blog
A Parent’s Story
Articles by Parents Like You
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 –...
Delayed emotional growth
Jake was the first-born child in our family, and like all moms and dads, we had aspirational dreams and hopes for his future life. His childhood included a Christian school for the first few years, above-average grades, and playing multiple sports. Our family attended...
The View from Recovery
Articles by People in Recovery
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...
The Bear
I’ve been watching, sometimes even re-watching on occasion, a show called The Bear in recent months. It’s probably the most honest, unflinching portrayal of what it’s like living in the unrelenting shadow of trauma, anxiety, and mental illness I’ve seen on screen,...
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There are some concepts in the field of addiction and recovery that have become outdated with time.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...
