PAL Blog
A Parent’s Story
Articles by Parents Like You
Finding the blessing
My family includes my husband and me (we have been happily married for over 35 years), our three adult children and several grandchildren. My addicted loved one was always the class clown. School was a breeze and all the...
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....
The View from Recovery
Articles by People in Recovery
There is a purpose in the pain
When I was 15 years old, I had grand aspirations for what my life would look like. I was obsessed with music and playing the guitar and my dream was to be a songwriter who wrote hits and toured the world. I loved reading and writing. I’d get lost in...
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...
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,...
