She Quit Treatment and Left. Should I Even Try To Stay In Touch?
Dave5656 is wondering if whether now is the time to let go. His daughter has stopped participating in treatment. She’s also moved back in with a boy…
Category: MODULE 4 – reflective listening
Handling the Holidays, Embracing Change
We’ve all felt the push-and-pull of the holidays. One impulse is to hold so tightly to “the way we do things” that we try to stop time in its tr…
What Are the Challenges of Reflective Listening?
Reflective listening means listening while reflecting what your loved one says. Use curiosity, interest, and separation to do both at once.
Reflective Listening, Intentional Dialogue, and Improving Communication: Episode 69
How does "reflective listening" work? What are its benefits? Why does Kayla say she'd use it if someone were pointing a gun at her?
CRAFT, Al-Anon, and Intervention: What’s the Difference?
CRAFT offers tools to gain awareness of your own reactivity, notice what works for your loved one, and make choices to create real change.
My Daughter’s Struggle Isn’t Just With Substance Use
Shame and stigma are all-too-familiar aspects of many people’s struggle with substance use. Allies’ member Sferguson has watched her daughter conf…
Out of the Mouths of Babes (and Comedians)
Comedian DJ Pryor says that he’s always spoken to his children (even when they were toddlers) as if they could understand his every word. The approa…
“What We All Require Is To Be Heard”: Kayla Solomon On Effective Communication and Connection
In March 2023, Allies in Recovery's very own Kayla Solomon led a 90-minute ZOOM conversation with leaders of the East Bay chapter of the National Alli…
How CRAFT Can Help: Supporting Your Partner to Successfully Moderate Opiate Use
His partner is trying to moderate her use of heroin and methamphetamine with no formal support. Her use consumes so much of his partner's life that it…
I Don’t Want To Ignore What’s Happening. And I Don’t Want To Accuse.
Fortunately, CRAFT skills can help us avoid both extremes. Faith asks a basic, vital question — and one that Allies in Recovery writer Laurie MacDou…