Stick to Your Guns!
A mom on our Allies in Recovery member site wrote in about her daughter’s recent relapse. Her daughter has been staying away from home, reconnecting…
Author: Dominique Simon
Dominique launched Allies in Recovery in 2003. Her work has been featured on HBO and NPR. She is a facilitator and a trained speaker on issues of addiction and the family. She has worked extensively developing and evaluating federally-funded substance abuse programs for organizations and clinics throughout Massachusetts and New York. With an interest in recovery and substance abuse that spans 20 years, she sees a huge need to help families develop the skills to help a loved one recover fully in a supportive, whole, and lasting way in their families and in their communities. Her mission is to have Allies in Recovery fill that gap.
He’s Almost 18 … I Can’t Force Him to Get Help
The situation with your son is upsetting and complex. It is paralyzing to parent a teen who runs away or threatens to hurt himself, either willfully o…
Coax the Scared Animal out of the Woods—Become an Ally
Your Monday evening dinners are a great example of setting the stage for “coaxing the little scared animal out of the woods.” The hard part with t…
I’m Concerned About My Son’s Nodding
AiR member Layagirl's son has been clean for 11 months with the help of methadone treatments, but from the start he has been experiencing signific…
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Recovery Support
While DBT was originally designed for people with suicidal tendencies, it is effective for a host of conditions. DBT is typically taught in groups plu…
Vivitrol: for both alcohol and opiate addiction
It makes sense that your daughter is scared and ashamed. Addiction is so stigmatized, especially the use of opiates. In an ideal world, the family wou…
Aspergers & Alcohol
AiR member heartbrokenmom has written is about her son with Asperger’s who struggles with severe alcohol dependence. She is exhausted from the r…
They Form a Closed Loop – What Can I Do?
What you’re describing between your sister and nephew is one of the most difficult situations. One props up the other, in this reinforcing close…
They’re So Enmeshed – Can I Possibly Help?
“Enmeshed” is a good word to describe the situation between your sister and her son. Enmeshed describes a pattern, years in the making, wh…
Coaxing the Little Scared Animal…
Any parent would want to step in and fix what is so obviously broken. An ally, conversely, does things a little differently. An ally creates a sa…