Discussion Blog
Latest Discussion Blog Post
She Wants Another Round of Rehab. Should I Open My Wallet Yet Again?
Member Klmaiuri’s daughter struggles with alcohol and cocaine use. She’s also been through rehab seven times. The cycle—use, treatment, partial recovery, return to use—can feel like a cycle that never ends. Is there a way to be supportive while put a (loving) wrench in the gears? Allies’ writer Laurie MacDougall says absolutely yes. But it takes a commitment to learning new skills, trying a new approach, and lots of practice.
Discussion Blog Posts
The Fretting is Almost Comforting
As one's Loved One progresses through their recovery (all good, of course), one's thinking can be prompted to return to some of the memories of their active use. Just human nature I guess (…..) One wonders if they may not be getting too complacent, maybe thinking that they "are over it", letting their guard down so to speak.
He’s Home and Stays in His Man Cave All Day
One would hope that the structure and activities of an inpatient facility would rub off on your son after 45 days, and it has. He is going to meetings and is taking medication. How much change can someone expect to see after a month and a half?
He’s On Methadone & Constipated…
Methadone, like all opiates, can be terribly constipating. We are not familiar with all the outcomes possible with acupuncture, but if it did relieve your son’s constipation this would certainly be an important finding for him…
Nature Teaches Us to Give & Receive Support
I believe the epidemic of addiction that our nation is experiencing is awakening us to our need to support one another, and thankfully support groups are becoming more available. I strongly encourage everyone to research and find one that is a fit for you, online or in person. We need all of it!
Level 10 Stress – Sound Familiar?
The long-term stress I experienced caused me to become very forgetful, hasty in my decisions, confused and socially awkward. Even more than usual! I also noticed that during that time of my life I became very clumsy. At the time, it became obvious to me that I was heading for a crash if I didn’t get ahead of my stress. I knew I had to develop different responses for the ambush, crazy-making moments of chaos. There are solutions.
He’s In Treatment: It’s Your Cue to Step Back
There’s a lot of starting and stopping in early sobriety. This can unfortunately last some time. It’s going to take patience and trust in the process for you to disengage when you see your son faltering in his efforts at sobriety. Starting and stopping is how we learn just how immense the problem of addiction is, that the little promises we make to ourselves are simply not enough.
Hope Deferred Makes the Heart Sick
Through recovery work I have learned to stop expecting people to be different and to reduce the frustration that comes from trying to cause a person to get better, or trying to mold them into how I think they should be (even if it’s reasonable). When I put these demands and expectations down, I can love people for who they actually are.
I’m Sober So Why Isn’t My Son?
It took me years to realize there is more than one way to overcome addiction. Your son can find his way. You can help him to find his way by following the principles we lay out in the learning modules on this site.
Suboxone vs. Section 35 – What Do I Do About My Son?
Your son says he is willing to try a treatment. Pulling out of opiate addiction will likely be a process. It is the rare person who goes from regular use to complete abstinence in one step. It may take several treatment episodes to gain some traction with recovery and this will take some time.
What I Learned From Isabel’s Story
Things are not always as they appear. The pendulum of that truth can swing good or bad. Someone who appears aloof, rude, detached, even unlikeable may actually have a big, mushy heart of gold and a lifetime of treasured memories just beneath the surface. Everyone deserves a chance to be understood, listened to and cared about.
You Oughta Be Ashamed of Yourself!
Walking in shame, I don’t find my way to light, hope, peace or accomplishment. Rather, I find my way to downtrodden darkness, more mistakes, failures and worthlessness. I don’t need anyone to remind me of my deficiencies or failures, I have my own internal narrator, quick to remind me.
How AiR Can Help You to Shift the Balance
This site provides videos that teach the CRAFT approach. Interspersed with the videos are worksheets we call Key Observations. The information you fill into these worksheets is the key data about your situation. Here is where I suggest you focus. This information will help you to shift your behavior. Your shifting your behavior will help her to shift hers.
He Won’t Get Out of Bed
Your brother is trying to stay sober but is so depressed he won’t get out of bed. I would treat this as a psychiatric emergency. I suggest you start by calling crisis in your area.
Why Won’t She Fight Fair?
She would call me “UnChristian,” reminding me that “God sees exactly” how I am. For years this was my private horror story that I shared with very few. That is, until I chose to step out of the pathology of dysfunction and depart from our norm. I began to find my way forward when my son fell into the same plight of prescribed addiction after an injury.
Who Should Pay for Sober Housing?
Treatment doesn’t see its role as helping the newly sober person to manage financially. They rarely ask the question, "So where is the job?” … “How is this person going to pay for the sober house?” … “How is this person going to get to their appointments?” They certainly don’t see their role as providing inpatient treatment until such time as the person is financially stable.
My Knock-down Fights with My Mom
Vitriol can be described as a solution-less rant of hate-filled criticism. A brand of sulfuric acid was named Vitriol, reason being that the acid was strong enough to burn through anything, including steel and rock. Another permanent boundary I now have: I will not remain in the presence of vitriol.
Arguing with an Addicted Loved One Can Be Like Reasoning with a Hurricane
It’s no secret that addiction has ripped its way through my home and family. At least not since my book “Unhooked, a Mother’s Story of Unhitching from the Roller Coaster of Her Son’s Addiction” was published. One of the ways I have found myself pulled into a struggle with the insanity and dysfunction of addiction is when what I call “bottomless arguments” flare up. Particularly those that involve a combination of deceptive tactics.
He’s Been Smoking Pot Half His Young Life
Experts describe the pot of today as a completely different drug as it used to be, with THC levels often reaching 80-90%, as oppoosed to the 10-15% more common a few decades ago. The drug appears less harmful than alcohol and has fewer withdrawal symptoms. It is still, however, a powerful drug, made ever more so in its current manifestation.
The Dilemma of Danger
How do you keep from encouraging further drug use by raising the bottom and protecting your Loved One from overdose? How as a family member do you live with the dangers your Loved One is facing, day in and day out? How do you avoid depleting your energy and becoming obsessed with the circumstances of your Loved One’s life? We’d like to hear your thoughts.
Even After the Addiction is Resolved…You May Need to Do More
You want to partner with her, not dominate. You want to get your frustrations addressed elsewhere and not aim them at her. There is a child involved, which makes things critical. Hanging back and making a rule of approaching her gently may feel intolerable, given your need to know about and to see your grandchild.