PAL Blog
A Parent’s Story
Articles by Parents Like You
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...
PAL meetings helped us stand a little taller
We have a rather large family with three children, two in-laws and multiple grandchildren. Our addicted loved one was a total joy growing up. Our child never met a stranger because everyone became a friend, and he could very easily get an entire room laughing at one...
The View from Recovery
Articles by People in Recovery
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,...
Pushing through life’s struggles despite the pain
I’ve been talking a lot lately. To alcoholics, addicts, homeless people, neighbors, co-workers, family, friends, people I don’t know and people I know well. Sometimes I over share or volunteer things about myself that are pretty raw and occasionally unhinged, but...
From Counselors
Articles by PAL and Partner Counselors
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...
Families and Addiction, a podcast
Dr. Aaron Weiner, licensed clinical psychologist, recently sat down to do a podcast with Dr. Brian Licuanan, a friend and colleague to discuss families and addiction. Dr. Licuanan is an author, speaker, and board-certified psychologist practicing in...
Protecting our behaviors with excuses keeps us stuck
Have you ever become aware of an unpleasant part of yourself that you didn’t want to see? Becoming self-aware is a foundational principle and an inevitable part of the process of change. We must learn to step back and observe ourselves from a distance, so we can...
