Podcast: “Consistent Forgiveness”
Coming Up for Air brings together two Allies in Recovery moms, Annie Highwater and Laurie MacDougall, for thoughtful discussion on a range of topics pertaining to addiction in the family. Both Annie and Laurie spent years struggling with an addicted loved one. In this podcast series, they share their stories and experiences in the hope that you will relate in some way, that you will learn from them and be reminded that you are NOT ALONE.
Laurie and Annie dive deep into the role forgiveness plays when struggling with an addicted loved one. This episode explores our tendency to constantly forgiveness for a loved one who is acting out in the disease, as well as personal examples of forgiving others who made it worse along the way. They also discuss such issues as resentment, shaming and blaming and how they dealt with this, remembering that “without forgiveness, life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation”.
Meet our hosts:
Laurie MacDougall is the mother of three, and a former high school math teacher, residing in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Work at Boston University. She is particularly interested in how community organizations can improve the impact they have on the opiate epidemic. Laurie’s overarching goal is to end the stigma associated with the disease of addiction, through education. She loves skiing and ice hockey, and is at her happiest when spending time with her family.
Annie Highwater is a long distance runner, health and wellness advocate, and researcher of behavioral science. She is particularly interested in family pathology and concepts of dysfunction and conflict. Annie resides in Columbus, Ohio where she enjoys writing, hiking, the great outdoors. She also visits her son in Southern California as often as possible. In 2016, Annie published her memoir, Unhooked: A Mother’s Story of Unhitching from the Roller Coaster of Her Son’s Addiction. The story is especially relevant in helping us all understand the personal challenges facing parents and family members, and how family dynamics both help and hinder the recovery process.
You can also check out Allies in Recovery’s blog, where Laurie and Annie are both contributors.
Join the Allies in Recovery member site today for full, unlimited access to our e-learning platform, expert guidance, and the chance to connect with others in your situation. Learn more here.