PAL Blog
A Parent’s Story
Articles by Parents Like You
Finding my recovery path
My husband and I have three adult children. We’re a typical family. I was a stay-at-home mom, I volunteered at each of my children’s schools through the years, we were active in our church, we took family vacations, we cheered...
One Day at a Time
My family photos on social media are like most everyone else’s. You know the kind with the perfect family, great setting and well dressed. I’ve been married for 42 years to my amazing wife, and we have two children, two grandchildren and another on the way....
No Longer Letting the Chaos be in Control
a I’m a PAL mom. I am married and have two children – a son and a daughter. My son was always on the go 24/7. He was never a sit-around-the-house child. He loved sports - at some point, he played just about every sport. From an early age, he was smart. He excelled...
The View from Recovery
Articles by People in Recovery
Encourage the process of healing
Happy New Year! Here we are again, on the cusp of another new era – the next chapter of our lives ready to unfold with each passing day. I’d like to thank you all for being here with me on this journey - this dissection of days passed wherein I’ve mined both...
Spending Christmas all alone
Almost nine years ago during this holiday season my journey of recovery began in earnest. There were a lot of stops and starts along the way (several pitfalls that I fell into), but 2014 saw me in the most physically and mentally broken I’d ever been. Liver...
This is only temporary…
I’ve been exhausted lately. Over the years I had forgotten how tough it can be to get acclimated to a newborn’s sleep schedule – those early morning hours where you just drift off in peaceful slumber only to be jolted awake moments later by a seemingly endlessly...
From Counselors
Articles by PAL and Partner Counselors
Turning the spotlight on ourselves
I read in a book by Earnie Larsen* that there is scant difference between an abstaining chemically dependent person and a co-dependent person. Both have living problems, intimacy problems and issues with self-esteem. All these...
Am I a good role model for my adult children?
At a recent PAL meeting a distressed mother said, “I’ve cut financial strings, my son no longer lives with me and I’m limiting how many phone calls I take because he only calls when he wants money or is in a crisis, so I guess there is nothing else I can do?” This...
Finding Joy While Waiting
In PAL meetings we often talk about delayed emotional growth as well as delayed gratification. Our loved ones who are battling substance use disorder have tremendous difficulty with both of these behaviors. In the case of many of them, they began using substances...
