PAL Blog
A Parent’s Story
Articles by Parents Like You
Hope is possible even after relapse
A little more than four and a half years have passed since I wrote my first testimonial in late November 2019. My only child was released in April 2019 after spending five months in jail. He had been arrested for a missed court date related to drug paraphernalia...
Finding support, answers in our darkest hour
My wife and I committed our lives, our marriage, and our family to the Lord early in life. We were blessed with two sons and daughters-in-law and four grandchildren. Brian, our second born, challenged with alcoholism, was always the sensitive, caring, loving...
Finding joy in unexpected dreams
“God always allows us to feel the frailty of human love so we can appreciate the strength of His.” C.S. LewisI am a wife, a mother to four, handsome, beautiful, young adult sons, a caregiver to my husband, and a parent of two addicted loved ones.For as long as I...
The View from Recovery
Articles by People in Recovery
I deserve what’s best for me
“We only want what’s best for you.” I remember hearing this phrase from my parents at 19 years old. It was the beginning of my battle with substance use disorder and mental health issues. Sitting in a hospital room after my first overdose on heroin, I truly...
Embracing the here and now
I’m writing this from the backseat of a Toyota Camry heading west on the I-10. Swaths of open desert painted green with brush, wildflowers dotting the freeway margins, with random bursts of brilliant yellow and purple, create a picturesque landscape. My...
The future is bright
I’m sitting on a filthy curb of a strip mall. Scabs line my face. The crooks of my arms are swollen with sores. Fear and sadness burn in my chest in equal measure. I can’t think about anything anymore unless it involves eliminating my thinking with heroin....
From Counselors
Articles by PAL and Partner Counselors
Are you loving someone to death?
As a professional who has been working in the field of addiction and mental illness for many years, I have seen the worst. I have stood in front of high-risk relapse populations working tirelessly to end this horrific epidemic that still remains largely hidden. I...
Is my life out of balance? Part 2
Last month we started a two-part series on the importance of a balanced life. I am hoping that after an assessment of those first six areas, you were able to start getting some of those needed areas back into balance. In part 1, we covered feelings, relationships,...
Is my life out of balance?
In my counseling practice I often notice that when my clients are dealing with a loved one with substance use disorder, they tend to have the spotlight focused solely on their loved one and forget that they have a life of their own to live. Eventually, when self-care...
