PAL Blog
A Parent’s Story
Articles by Parents Like You
Hope for the Future
When our son was born, my husband and I were so excited and full of anticipation for his future life. It was clear at a very young age that he was different from other children. He was more active, more agitated and it was...
The power of unconditional love
I'm a PAL mom who started a PAL meeting in my local community. I've been married for 44 years and have two biological children and two “adopted" daughters that call us mom and dad. Between them I'm a grandma of three boys and two girls....
Needing something more
My husband and I just celebrated 42 years of marriage. We have one child together – a son – and I have a bonus daughter who was 4 years old when we got married. My son was always spontaneous and loved going fast on go karts...
The View from Recovery
Articles by People in Recovery
Living through the pain
In 2012 I lived at my drug dealer’s apartment. Our arrangement consisted of me providing transportation in exchange for a blanket on the floor in the living room and the occasional free hit of heroin, meth or marijuana. When I was physically able, I delivered...
Vignettes
November 17, 2012 16th Street and Glendale. Phoenix, Arizona I’m barely scraping by. I’ve left the halfway house again in my brazen denial of reality – my utter consumption with staying intoxicated fish-hooking me into another miserable situation. I’m in a...
Living in grace, forgiveness
While I labored intently in my single-minded zeal to stay intoxicated, lost in my disease, so many important individuals were left in the dust picking up the pieces I’d so recklessly broken along my path. Lately, I’ve noticed myself reflecting on this more than...
From Counselors
Articles by PAL and Partner Counselors
Why is recovery such a long journey? Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint
One thing I regularly hear from people revolves around their desire for their loved one to get sober. However, there is an important distinction between sobriety and recovery. Frankly, “getting sober,” is usually the simple part. Don’t get me...
Four T’s of a high-quality recovery program
One thing we all hope for and want to see in our loved ones is long term recovery. Two questions I have been asked many times by both family members and those that are in treatment are: how long will this take and what can I...
Is accepting the same as condoning?
We talk often about acceptance in our PAL meetings. Acceptance is also spoken of frequently in substance use treatment programs as well as in AA meetings. On page 417 of the fourth edition of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous it says,...
