Reviews

It helped me become better at communicating with my loved one.

The information is presented well and is helpful.

The elearning lessons are fantastic. I go back to them over and over. I like how I can listen or read them when I’ve needed to do this privately. You have all been very responsive on the discussion blog. I greatly value your encouraging manner. The links to other posts are helpful also.

Great site!

The site is a very helpful blend of information. The level of detail in the Q & A posts make them really relatable and applicable because they explain a solid framework for CRAFT. I like the Sanctuary because it is refreshing and touching. Podcasts are wonderful because they give inside scoop on people and addiction. . . . I find the emails highlighting specific things to check out beneficial.

I enjoy being able to read the modules online. They have been extremely helpful to me, and I’ve adopted quite a few of the suggested techniques.

Great Resource. A key find for anyone struggling with helping a loved one that is suffering from Substance Abuse Disorder and all that goes with it. Highly recommend!

Empowering resource. I’m getting a lot of help from this podcast. My partner suffers from alcoholism. This info is more useful and empowering for me than that offered in Alanon.

If I hadn’t been introduced to John Fitzgerald (via a professor at PSU), I would not have connected with Allies in Recovery in fall 2018 — when L was on the streets. Without Allies, I wouldn’t have known how to stay connected to her, take care of myself, and guide her to treatment. She survived because of you and the guidance you provided.

Thank you for this post. I came to Allies in Recovery almost 2 years ago as the second stop (SAMHSA was first) on my journey as a parent of someone struggling with their SUD. How fortunate that my early learning took place here. I learned much of the language early on and the tone of conversations here were full of hope and compassion for our LOs. My daughter is skittish by nature so the language I use is especially important. I don’t get the full honesty from her that I would like but I understand that honest communication is too revealing for her at times. I am responsible for me and my choices, including the language I carefully choose. Finding CRAFT has helped build a foundation built on love and hope. Thanks again for this thoughtful post.

Thanks for the reminders. AIR never lets me down.

My son is not in recovery, but our relationship has improved in the last few months because I’ve changed thanks to AIR and CRAFT.

The CRAFT methods, personal coaching and this website have been a savior for me. I appreciate all the support.

Thank you to everyone here at Allies in Recovery for creating a program for families and friends so we can be resilient to hard times and get back to our own recovery more quickly. That resilience has been key for me.

So, having one day of the bad news behind me, I am moving on to some work I am responsible for, my own self care. I will once again dive back into the modules and do some thinking on all the positive things I can think and do. I understand that relapse can happen and even shared that knowledge with my daughter months ago so she would be up front about it if it happened and not protect me overmuch. She has quoted that a number of times in the past and each time I think she was testing my reaction. She knows we love and understand; she even said that in her text. One less burden for her I hope.

Dominique, I have recommended AIR to many families who need it. It’s a very valuable and practical resource. Keep up the fine work!

Valuable support for families with addiction. As a clinical social worker and family addiction coach I love everything about Allies in Recovery; including this podcast. With a 70% success rate of a loved one entering treatment, CRAFT is an approach my families find extremely valuable. Hearing from others through this podcast series who have recovered from the impact of addiction is useful on many levels. Well done Annie and Laurie!

Wanted to provide you a quick update. K is now in University since September and doing really great from what we can tell. She is clear and focused when we speak to her regularly and appears to be the same personality we remember from the past. She is also doing well in school academically and is fully back into what she loves, being actively engaged in her sailing team. I believe she has had no more contact with her boyfriend and have gotten confirmation from some of her friends. She is coming back for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas. We are obviously thrilled and excited about all these positive developments and happy to be able to focus on our younger son a little more and have normalcy back at home. Can’t thank you enough to have supported us getting to this point.

A MUST! I love the Coming Up for AIR podcasts from Allies in Recovery. They offer clear, helpful, and relatable information for those of us who have a loved one with substance use disorder. I can’t thank them enough!

A podcast that knows what impact addiction has. I really look forward to these podcasts. They are so educational and I can relate easily. It is comforting to listen to people who have been or are going through a similar experience.

Great for families. Such an open and honest podcast dealing with the desperation’s families face with addiction!

Thank you. The Allies site has been a tremendous help to me and my husband. We are learning new ways to communicate with our son that are positive for everyone. Yes, it’s difficult but so worth it. Thank you again for being there. You’ve been a light in a 10+ year storm.

Thanks very much! Allies has been very helpful to me over the past several years. The modules, exercises, and personal advice have helped me navigate a difficult situation and improved relationships with family members so much. I really appreciate the site and recommend it whenever I find someone else in a similar situation.

I’ve been listening to the podcast “Coming up for air” daily and they have helped me so much. Baby steps, but I actually had my first “normal” nonexplosive phone conversation with my son in over 2 years. I used CRAFT techniques. He actually gave me some information that his “appointments” were NA meetings. He’s going 4 times a week. He still only initiates any communication when he has a problem or needs money, but it’s a start. Thank you for being here!

I really appreciate this site and work of Allies in Recovery. I’ve only known the Al-Anon and Codependency approach before. I’m finding it so helpful to see addiction and recovery in a new way. It is so liberating. And I’m so grateful. Thank you for your work.

Keeps me grounded and hopeful. I have learned a ton about addiction through the podcast. 1. Provides ways to communicate with your loved one and more importantly how to communicate. I particularly liked podcast #69 with reflective listening. 2. Prior to having a loved one with addiction, I really didn’t understand addiction. Now that I have a better grasp of the disease, the resentment I had toward my daughter has disappeared. Now I am better able to respond rather than react. I am so grateful for this podcast. Thank you!

Hello, I haven’t written in quite a while. My husband just passed his 6 month 100% sobriety. Our life is changing and healing before our eyes. The concepts I learned on this site about natural consequences and how and when to talk with my husband has dramatically changed my life. I have peace and stability, before he ever changed. Then I was able to really help. I encourage you to embrace and apply the learning here.

Laurie is a tremendous guiding light for both me and my husband as we continue on this journey with our son. I am learning boundaries and we are working on creating a functional analysis for a better understanding of the behaviors, their triggers and their respective outcomes both positive and negative . She is helping us navigate the CRAFT methodology. We are eternally grateful for Laurie and for Allies In Recovery as we continue on this journey.

Thank you for all you do.

Thank you for the email, Dominique! Allies in recovery is very helpful for me.

Thanks for your wonderful member site! It’s been a tremendous help to me 🙂

Thank you for all your kind words and support, I didn’t realize how badly I needed to hear it. I’m so glad I found this site in 2019 when I did.

I enjoy reading these posts

This was such a helpful email! Thanks!

Thank you for all of the valuable information. Truly appreciated

Thank you!! I was telling my husband yesterday that there are still people in the world that care. Thank you for your time.

The modules, podcast, and blogs have been very helpful, and I will keep growing and learning. Thank you for the support.

Please keep sending me your emails, there’s always something new to learn [on] how to navigate through our difficult circumstances. Thank you for your time spent on every advice given through email and through allies in recovery website.

Thank you — I appreciate your words of wisdom. Please keep sending me emails.

Thank you for all you do!

We find the regular updates extremely helpful. Thank you so much for the support you provide, even to us ‘over the pond’!

Thanks for this program it has been a great support to me over the years.

Thank you for this support.

I can’t thank you enough for your website and helping me set these boundaries! I realize addiction is a roller coaster ride, but thank you for being on this ride with me! I know there will be setbacks, but I am so proud of him for taking these first steps in his recovery! Thank you again and God Bless All of You for allowing free access to your website!

Thank you so much for all of these suggestions and steps in setting up boundaries! I have been sticking to my boundaries with my 40 year old son and I am pleased to report he has taken the first steps to recovery! He has been 9 days sober and a completely different son and father to his two children, aged 10 and 11!

I appreciate so much your responses and all of the breakdown with recommendations you have made. It has been so helpful and so reassuring to just have someone to talk to and understand.

I’ll stay in touch and keep you updated. Again, thank you. I’m so appreciative of all the help and kindness that’s offered here. It means a lot.

I am a member of Allies in Recovery and have greatly benefitted personally from my involvement in AIR and in Kayla Solomon’s support group.

Thank you again for this excellent resource. . . . . I’m listening for wishes and dips, and they’re getting easier to recognize.

Thank you so much for this response. I wish I had found this place earlier.

I love going to the Allies site – it fills me up. A visit to the site always reminds me of the good side of humanity and our capacity to help each other through times of struggle. Whenever I need it, Allies is there, offering warmth, insight, and practical information I can use in my own life. The stories shared remind me I am not alone, and I always learn something helpful. Love you guys. Keep up the good work.

I am so grateful for this site …lessons [from Module] 7 were great….and Podcast 74 was so helpful.

Thank you thank you thank you….I can’t say it enough.

I feel your understanding and compassion in this post and all the others I read here on Allies. . . . Thank you for replying to my post. Your whole team works incredibly hard and it makes Allies In Recovery a real force for good in families with SUD.

I am feeling so blessed to have hooked up with you and this site. Allies in Recovery is a God-send to me and I can’t thank you enough. We do not have anyone in my Province (Saskatchewan) who practices the CRAFT method. I phoned many counselors and most had not even heard of it. We do have an addictions counsellor for our school system in the province that uses components of it so I am happy to have found him. Anyway, I want to thank you for your prompt and meaningful response. I am so appreciative of everything that your organization does for people and the humility you show. I have also started listening to the Podcasts which I find amazing.

Thank you for your assistance. Your CRAFT modules provide guidance and support, thank you.

“Thank you so much for addressing my concerns in this article. Your answer definitely gave me some much needed clarity. My husband and I have made a conscious effort to use more positive communication with our daughter in the past several months. I truly believe that this has contributed to her compliance & co-operative attitude toward drug court.”

Hi there – I really appreciate the online course. It is amazing. I am current on “Whats going on with your loved one”. Thank you!

Thanks for all this food for thought. I find new gems with every visit.

Hello. First I would like to say thank you for this wonderful resource. Your site has been a great help and comfort to me already.

The Allies in Recovery website has been very helpful to me on my own journey with my son and I have recommended your website to many friends and acquaintances. I am a big fan.

I find the AiR site invaluable. It’s easy to understand and to make a part of one’s life. It helps to support the LO while focusing on the needs of their family (which is usually overlooked in other methodologies). I am truly grateful to have stumbled upon AiR and CRAFT. Thank you so much.

I love the site and am so very grateful for it. Thank you!

[T]he facility and the people have helped me work through quite a bit of my issues and I shall always be grateful for that. I say don’t change a thing, what you all have going there is a great thing.

It is hard to measure how much the program affected my loved one, but I know for me it helped me feel less terrified and gave me some hope.

I really enjoy reading the stories of how other parents deal with addiction in their families. It gives me hope that things can and will be better.

I am using the site a lot ….. I’ve really enjoyed Kayla’s group. I was learning a lot from Laurie’s group and then my schedule changed ….. I may join the Tuesday group. I’d love a Friday group. I like that the lessons are short and easy to return to! I’ve used all sections of the site and may do more journaling. Thank you for being here!

I so appreciate the tools I’ve learned to help navigate through this difficult journey of addiction with my loved one. I had been looking for this type of training/support for a very long time and am so grateful to have discovered Allies In Recovery earlier this summer. I have more confidence in knowing what my role is in all of this, than at any other time during this long and painful journey. I can’t thank the team at Allies enough for all the ways they come alongside to support family members of those struggling with SUD.

I . . . really enjoy your podcast, it helps me when I’m feeling hopeless and at a loss of what to do next.

My son is now 18 months sober and active in treatment!! It was helpful to have a script or suggestions as to what to say when situations became difficult.

Your site was tremendously helpful for me during my son’s using and recovery, over 3 years ago now. It guided me through a profound change in how I saw my son, myself and all persons who suffer, not just addicts. It taught me in a step by step way to meet suffering with compassion and an open heart. I continue to use what I learned on AIR in so many situations and have passed on the techniques to others often giving you the credit you deserve. I hope that the changes I was able to make with your help on this site had an influence on my son’s choice to stop using. I’m guessing you would like to see that link established as well. But I was only his Ally and can’t speak for what finally got him to long term Recovery. The most positive thing was that your site gave me hope when I feared there was none. Thank you for changing my life.

Your site is excellent.

The resources available are very helpful including the Wednesday night group. I have learned a lot about this disease thanks to this organization.

Relevant topics. Ability to ask a question and receive an answer which are always relevant. Training modules are great. Site is well organized I’ve recommended it to many people. I facilitate a support group for family and friends through Smart Recovery.

The Wednesday night group with Kayla is extraordinarily helpful. I haven’t missed one since I started. I consider attending the group an essential part of my own recovery as a mom of son with SUD. I am deeply appreciative of Allies for offering this incredible service. The website is very good also: modules, discussion section. I have reached out to so many resources and what you offer is at the absolute top.

Great site, thanks for creating it!!

Excellent suggestions in how to change my behavior and reactions and make plausible suggestions. Really respected us as individuals. Easy access and practical website with excellent tools to understand my loved one and actually constructively help. Gave me hope.

Amazing resource. Dominique has been an angel for our family, guiding us through very rough waters, giving us hope along the way and guiding us toward the light. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!

You are doing amazing work. Beyond words you reach those suffering the deepest pain and suffering I believe a human being can experience. Those that have not lived with and through this will never know. God Bless You All and Thank You

I have been involved with Harm Reduction and AIR since the beginning of my work at Baystate Brightwood Health Center for CMA, then morphing into CCA then as an independent consultant. The people in my life who have sought assistance getting and staying sober have benefitted from the community based treatment and the understanding that the problems are multifaceted and require a multi-pronged approach. AIR understands both the simplicity and complexity of its way of working. I appreciate the AIR COMMUNITY.

I absolutely love it.. it gives me strength and guidance to try to help my daughter get through the hardest pain She (and I) have ever gone through in life .

Love the support & tools I have learned! Thank you, thank you!

I like the encouragement and solace. I like having a place to turn when I’m despairing and feeling desperate.

I studied the program several years ago and found it to make a lot of sense to me.

The site is excellent with really useful material. . . . Our LO doesn’t live with us and is at some distance so it is more difficult to apply some of the suggested approaches. . . . Overall, Allies in Recovery provides great support for those coping with loved ones with addiction issues.

I am Aunt of loved one. . . . Allies in Recovery has been extremely helpful for me to support my sister and gain insight and understanding on substance abuse disorder. I forwarded the link to her and her husband, and they have also been helped by AIR.

It’s definitely a more powerful tool for me rather than impacting my loved one (except, indirectly through my boundaries and wisdom gleaned.) Keep up the good work. We’re all in this together.

I learned so much from this site and showed me that I am not alone. . . . It has helped me immensely and I am so satisfied with all aspects of the website.

I like the use of real stories and the experiences of all the people who have gone through this

I love the support from other members. When I make comments someone always responds. I also like to read/understand what other people are going thru. Music, videos – love those! You offer alot of help. I wish there was a support group using Allies in Recovery principles.

The site is fantastic. I really like all of the questions from the community (and the organized list of overlapping topics that can help focus on those that are the most pertinent). Talking to a peer counselor and joining the Zoom meetings (when I can fit them in) were especially helpful during times of crisis. The podcast is also a great way of getting information while doing other tasks throughout the day and night.

Thank you for what you do to support families and people struggling with substance use! I appreciate your direct, honest language.

Listen to podcasts regularly. I use your site regularly. (I’d appreciate) more podcasts interviewing parents that have success with their youth and addiction. I enjoy email prompts with updates. . . . My struggle is with teens so that is what I look for. Melissa Ethridge was great. Your sanctuary section offers joy. Loved the monk interview too. Grateful for your site! You do a great job. Addiction journey is not fun so finding meaning is important. I listen to Tara Brach for my sanity too. Blessings.

[ I appreciate] the journal, the group, the feedback I have received when I post a problem…

When we first realised that our child had an addiction, there was so much anger, disbelief and sorrow. We felt that our child was completely to blame and had willingly chosen this path, so we just wanted him to stop. AIR has given me a completely different perspective on substance use, and has put our whole family ‘on the same team’ instead of a constant battle full of hate, blame and shame, which was just driving us further apart. We now again see our loved one as just that, the person behind the addiction. I would like to thank AIR for their invaluable guidance.

I find the program very helpful and have recommended it to others.

My loved one refuses to get formal help, he insists he will do this his way in his time. Every time I go to Allies in Recovery I have found the videos to be supportive with practical ideas on how I can adjust my reactions. I need to do it more, that is the only thing that helps me, so I can respond in a way to him that is productive and feels good to me, and could have something in it for him. And I don’t know if my son will ever seek formal help, so I just need to keep growing. When I sink into immature behavior (lashing back, saying something hurtful when I am cooked or tired of the stupid routine) it never helps either of us. It feels like such a long haul, but going to the site always gives me a little boost if I can find the right slot in the Allies site.

I found this site extremely helpful in finding support/resources as the sister of an opioid addict/alcoholic. It didn’t necessarily change anything for him or our relationship but it did help me gain a better understanding of how I can respond differently than I have been/take a different approach.

AIR has been a total game changer. Not only have I learned how to better communicate with my loved one, but I also have better communication with others in my world. There are so many little instances when the tools of AIR guide me. The focus on self care has been really important. I never gave it a thought, always thinking of everyone else and not seeing how it impacted my whole being. I needed to add self care into my daily life. I have shared AIR multiple times and in multiple meetings and I see folks who have found it helpful as well. There are lots of forums “out there” where people share their experiences. I see AIR as something different. It’s about experts giving the advice and guidance. . . . I feel better leaving all the feedback to the experts. It is of tremendous benefit to have the content vetted in that way. I use other sites for conversations.

Allies in Recovery has been extremely helpful for me to support my sister and gain insight and understanding on substance abuse disease. I forwarded the link to her and her husband, and they have also been helped by AIR.

My son continues to struggle but my sanity is much improved knowing I am not the only one and the only true act I can engage in is to put on my oxygen mask first and find ways to enjoy my life while my son figures his own life out based on natural consequences.

I like the concept and principles of helping when the person is wanting help and helping themselves and backing off when they are not. It’s not all or nothing. It leaves room for hope. It leaves room to not completely give up and turn your back on the person who is in addiction. It also helps to understand that they can’t hear you when you are ranting angry and mad.

I am fairly new to implementing CRAFT but in less than one year of implementing in baby steps there is a definite improvement in our relationship, in the way we speak to each other, which has led to him to confide in me more and me being able to see things in a different light when it comes to why he does the things he does and how I can help him to see things about himself that may be holding him back. It’s a phenomenal site for both education about CRAFT and learning how to be supportive without being too naive or too domineering towards your family member that is battling their disease of Substance Use.

I love the format . . . and plan to run through these (modules) several times.

I like the option of continuing to support my son when I can. That I can continue to show him love and support and not just throw him out with no contact. I haven’t practiced the techniques enough to be able to use them, but the practices give me hope.

Having completed the CRAFT program in August, I have been successful in using most of the skills I learned. I found the workshops and exercises to be relevant and helpful. My loved one is currently in treatment and although I am nervous about her aftercare, I am hopeful that my CRAFT experience will be one of the tools that will guide me through this difficult phase.

I have been supported 100% for the first time during this debilitating journey. I have felt validated and loved and supported here. I have been given amazing tools for communication – which in turn has allowed my daughter to trust me, open up to me and her drug use has lessened. She comes to me now – communication is key in facilitating the end result to counseling/treatment. Thank you so very much.

Your program helped me as a grandparent alot, my grandson is a senior in high school. Getting these kids away from the peers involved with their addiction to help break the cycle. Takes months and constant support and monitoring. Thank you for your help.

Thank you. It is an excellent and much needed resource, for families who are devastated by an addicted loved one’s behaviour.

The blogs posts are exceptional. I run a support group in Waukesha, Wisconsin and share this information regularly. Wish I could come up with more for you, but I am so impressed with the work you are doing that I don’t think I could improve it. Thank you for making it available to everyone during COVID. I think that several of my family members have used the resource for that reason.

I really appreciated the responsiveness when I first joined. I posted a question and was almost immediately answered. The suggested plan of action helped immensely.

I have in fact referred these time-strapped parents/guardians to AiR’s videos… and actually viewed with my program’s support group members in order to convey within my encouragement as a Peer-Supporter that the Videos model more generous communication even outside the dynamics of one family member/partner/loved one’s abusing alcohol/substances…Merci mille fois!

The concepts were so helpful and simply taught in the videos. Alanon and personal work were also a pre-requisite to be able to stay connected and kind through the use and brief moments of non use. I believe following your advice helped our relationship with him in a way that helped him break through and seek recovery. It is also helping us stay focused on his and our recovery rather than getting caught up in other things that concern us or annoy us which feels very important to our son feeling supported and connected to us. We are so grateful!

Everything about your program has been helpful, especially the REST meeting. It really has been a life saving program.

I particularly appreciate the examples of how not to and how to communicate with my Loved One, as well as the guidelines on how to encourage my Loved One to get and stay sober by reducing our interactions when my Loved One is using. I also particularly appreciate the efforts to help me be less stressed out.

I like the approach of trying to understand and help loved one and to make loved one feel we are listening to them. It helped me a lot with my communication and what to say to my loved one. Also when to pull back. I appreciate the support with Laurie and Kayla.

The site was easy to use. Easy to understand language and role play was really good. I have been able to use some of the techniques and explain to others what I had learned to assist them. Overall really happy with the program!

I wanted to let you know that my beautiful daughter left our world on Friday 12/23. She was so happy and knew she was so loved. The last 18 months with her were the best. She was her true self and loving life. She had a new job she loved, attended numerous family events and vacations and thoroughly enjoyed every one. She was at such peace with herself. I cant thank you enough for all the support i received from you which inevitably resulted in our relationship being so great. The text picture I had sent to her that morning said “I’ve had the time of my life raising you” i meant it and she knew it. ♥.

I share all of your [Allies in Recovery] posts to my Al-Anon home group because they are so smart and loving. Thank you for insight and support.

During the 20 years of struggle and reprieve I don’t remember feeling as supported and sustained as I do now with Leah and Dominique working “in solidarity” with me.

Allies in Recovery is a life saver and I have peace of mind knowing that it is there for me and so many others when needed.

The content on the Allies in Recovery website is essential. We need this support for all parents in the community.

I’ve been consistently impressed with the personalized attention Allies in Recovery has provided over the last several months. The tools I’ve learned from your website are empowering and it works. I had looked at many sites and investigated many groups, but unfortunately many I found to be based on emotion at best or on fear at worst. I’ve recommend the Allies website to my friends and clients on a regular basis as I’m confident others will receive the same unparalleled support that I’ve received. Your kind words, detailed guidance with the website, and ongoing encouragement have been so refreshing.

Allies in Recovery is a GREAT program! Thank you for hosting this training and sharing this knowledge with the community.

In the twenty years of struggle and reprieve I’ve experienced I don’t remember ever feeling as supported as I do now with Leah and Dominique working “in solidarity” with me. I am sending the Allies in Recovery team infinite gratitude for supporting me with this heavy burden.

Thank you! We so appreciate Allies in Recovery and all you do. CRAFT is life changing work.

I appreciate the help that Leah and Dominique provided me and my family. I have been bragging about Allies in Recovery to anyone that will listen! I’ve been attending the groups on a weekly basis for awhile now and find them very helpful. I find it incredibly beneficial to work on myself and change how I react to things. I feel this is the way forward for me and my family, and Allie’s training/support groups really help me.

I wanted to reach out with a huge thank you. This site and many of you have helped me and my husband dramatically. He has been alcohol free for almost two years. He is honest and forthright about his addiction. Our life is restored and better than its ever been. CRAFT really works. It’s logical, challenging and gives peace. Keep up the great work. Thanks again from the bottom of my heart.

I’ve taken several CRAFT trainings over the years and my training experience with Allie’s was by far THE BEST! I am a strong advocate of the CRAFT method and Allie’s’ training taught me more hands-on skills than any other. I walked away feeling more confident as a provider. Thank you!

I am so grateful for your time and expertise today, Leah and Dominique. I feel a sense of new found hope and purpose.

I appreciate your generosity, and all that everyone at Allies in Recovery does to support those of us who have Loved Ones with substance use disorders.

I cannot tell you what a thrill, honor & privilege it was to take part in this amazing training. I loved the content, the like-minded people & I am so eager to begin utilizing the new concepts & tools.

As a mother of a beautiful daughter that is in recovery and a son that is still working hard on his recovery, I THANK you for what you do, for the grace and sincerity in which you doo it. You have a gift in making a safe space to ask difficult questions and have real conversations. I also appreciated our group conversations and opening during the training. I really couldn’t have added anything to make it a better experience.

Love these emails [Broadcasts] with links! Over half of the specific topics you happen to send seem incredibly relevant to our situation NOW!

This is what I believe my HP [Higher Power] wanted me to see right now as we are facing a very similar situation today with our son. Thank you so much, Dominique, for this timely comfort. Thank you so very much for all you and your team are doing for parents and families. I am a very grateful mom.

The meeting yesterday was so helpful to me, and I wanted to say thank you. The way you explained how punishment does not really work, how it hurts the relationship to be punitive, and what other options are better, really opened my eyes. Later in the day my son had come down and wanted to go to a party. We were able to have an open discussion about it and what would be there and how he would manage. I used your suggestions, and we ended in a really good place. The party was cancelled, but the honesty he had with telling me what was going on was just huge, and it was because of how I asked the questions.

I have completed most of the modules, I have 2 left. I love your podcast and in-between doing the modules I have listened to your podcast and come to the blog looking for answers. I am planning to join one of the online support groups soon. Your site and resources have given me so much hope and support with my son’s SUD. Thank you!!

CRAFT and Vivitrol are helping over the last 5 months. At this point my loved one initiates discussion, primarily after drinking, brings up all sorts of things, including ideas about the future, and action items for both of us. Thanks for all you are doing!

I am very glad to see the growth of Allies in Recovery. I appreciate the spirit of love and generosity with which you and your team have developed and shared the resources. CRAFT [ . . . ] was part of my journey toward my own recovery from abuse.

Can’t thank you enough for all you do, Dominique. I have become an unofficial ambassador for CRAFT and I’ve sent many your way. Things are going well now with my loved one – but you have NO IDEA how helpful you have been along the way. Bless you.

So pleased to see ‘CRAFT’. It makes all the difference.

These [Allies in Recovery “Coming Up For Air”] podcasts have the most helpful information for a family dealing with addiction. The hostesses are very knowledgeable and let you know you can cope with whatever situation you find yourself in. After listening to these three hosts for a year I now have hope for a better relationship with my loved one.

[Allies in Recovery’s] response is very validating. I teared up a bit in gratitude. I think that my biggest struggle is with uncertainty about my thoughts and decisions and being a part of Allies in Recovery helps so much with this! I am also going to start seeing a counselor soon, and I think we are going to work on being honest with myself and not afraid to feel my feels. Every now and then, I do feel joyful excitement for the way my life is right now. I have lived in a way that I have to be vigilant and tiptoe around the lives of unstable family members for all of my 54 years, and I am seeing that I don’t actually need to live like that moving forward. It is a huge change.

My condition for his return was that the opiates needed to go. I considered this harm reduction and put the weed, etc., issue aside. He has been seeing a counselor weekly and is on Suboxone. I learned about CRAFT from the Partnership to End Addiction. I found your organization, joined and worked on the modules. It has really been a lifesaver and I feel my relationship with my son has already improved.

Good day! Thank you so much for the free membership. It has been so beneficial already. I have much to learn with a free membership. I have completed half of the modules. Thank you!

This podcast has been a lifesaver for my husband and I as we struggle with our son’s active drug use. The concepts we’ve learned through listening to this podcast have given us actionable steps to take instead of feeling so helpless and have given us hope of being able to get our son into treatment someday. I hate to think where we would be if we hadn’t found “Coming Up for Air”.

I’ve written to you two other times and have been grateful for the support and service I have received. This group is the most gifted and talented group I have ever experienced. My adult son has come a long way in his journey with SUD. He has many supports and services and uses them well. However, he is struggling with a new aspect of this journey.

Thank you very much for this information. You guys have been stellar with your actions and responsiveness.

I’m getting a lot from the “Coming Up for Air” podcast. My partner suffers with alcoholism. This info is more useful and empowering for me than that offered in Al-Anon.

I just signed up again after enjoying a free membership at the beginning of COVID. I am not in the thick of it any more. I lived with an active alcoholic for 30 years and we are still together and he has changed. I found that CRAFT changed my life for the better and I believe that my influence did help my loved one to get a handle on his drinking. He drinks once or twice a week at the most, and it is not excessive. He feels proud of himself and he tells me that he will never revert back to how he used to be. I am proud of him; it was a long and difficult road.

I have learned a ton about addiction through the “Coming Up for Air” podcast. 1. Provides ways to communicate with your loved one and more importantly how to communicate in general. I particularly liked podcast #69 with reflective listening. 2. Prior to having a loved one with addiction, I didn’t really understand addiction. Now that I have a better grasp of the disease, the resentment I had toward my daughter has disappeared. I am better able to respond rather than react. I am grateful for this podcast. Thank you!

I am so, so pleased to find your site. Running across your site has been so inspiring to me as I truly believe in the CRAFT model and that it should be more accessible and widely used.

This has been a WONDERFUL resource, and I’m so grateful for all the resources you provide. You guys are doing wonderful work.

I am so happy to have found this website! I have had wanted to learn what to do in just about each situation in the modules. It’s like you have been to my house and able to see what is going on. As a Mom with a son with a substance abuse issues, I feel like I’ve found a place where I’m understood. Thank you.

As a Clinical Social Worker and Family Addiction Coach I love everything about Allies in Recovery; including this podcast. With a 70% success rate of a loved one entering treatment, CRAFT is an approach my families find extremely valuable. Hearing from others through this podcast series who have recovered from the impact of addiction is useful on many levels. Well done!

Love the work you do!

I liked the advice about talking to your loved ones in a less confrontational manner.

I have already gained so much from the modules that I have watched and the podcasts coupled with what I know from SMART.

I love the “Coming Up for Air” podcasts from Allies in Recovery. They offer clear, helpful, and relatable information for those of us who have a loved one with substance use disorder. I can’t thank them enough!

Thank you! Laurie MacDougall is an amazing support group leader & educator. I have learned so much from Laurie’s online weekly support groups.

I’m also grateful for the support I’ve received from Allies In Recovery and continue to refer clients and friends. I strongly believe in the value of alternatives or additions to the AA/Al-Anon model. Take care and thank you for the wonderful work you do!

I have enjoyed reading your emails. The information has tremendous value to me as I have been living with a son who is dealing with substance use problems. It is going to be a long journey, but I am starting to see him engage in doing work with his addiction councillor and group sessions.

Thank you for all that you and the team do in support of families like mine. Best wishes.

Thank you Dominique for all your support and for everything you are doing for everyone on the site.

Thanks for all you do!

Thanks again for all that you do. This site has been a blessing to me.

Thank you for this incredible program! My working the Allies in Recovery program and attending Al-Anon has allowed me to become more calm and stable and to begin building a better relationship with my young adult despite a household split.

I have been through the modules and I love listening to the coming up for air podcasts. Thank you for all you do. I have been using your site for some time and have appreciated the guidance, the REST groups, and the blog postings. Everything is so helpful. When listening to the podcasts, I have picked up so much more information that goes along with the modules.

The resources on your site have been very helpful getting me through the past week, thank you.

I cannot thank you enough for this sage advice and support. I understand that this sort of input can take time. We are working as best we can with our son and are remaining supportive as well as hopeful. Again, thank you so much. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Allies in Recovery provides the “oxygen” necessary for me to carry on.

Love Allies in Recovery! Doing great work!

The Allies in Recovery workshops, virtual program and educational classes really helped me to understand things in a very practical way and made the ideas much easier for me to apply.

I was able to attend your 1-day CRAFT workshop recently, after devouring the AIR modules, and I came away from those 2 activities with new perspectives on how to be (and not to be) in relationships. It’s taken a few weeks for me to see how my habits are starting to change but I can feel a big difference already. Nothing else that I’ve participated in or practiced has been anywhere near as impactful as the AIR curriculum via your podcast, modules, and workshop. For me, that AIR “triple-therapy” has been just the right medicine in just the right dose at just the right time.

Before I learned CRAFT I didn’t know I was making mistakes in the way I was dealing with my son’s co-occurring disorders. Now I still make mistakes but at least I know what they are! Thanks to Allies in Recovery, I have lot’s of options to try something different next time.

Allies in Recovery has been my saving grace!

Sending so many thank you’s for the most recent “Coming Up for Air” podcast featuring the interview with Linda Aber. I am still organizing all the awesome notes and looking forward to listening again. I am so excited to hear part two. Thank you all for everything Allies does for families affected by the disease of addiction and how we can support our loved ones. You are all amazing! A grateful Mom in Central New York.

The BEST tools in the toolbox are from Allies in Recovery! CRAFT!

Allies in Recovery is a very workable approach to motivating a person with substance use disorder into recovery while maintaining healthy self-care boundaries.

I began using the principles/suggestions with my daughter and found them to be helpful. I am so grateful for all I learned through CRAFT and how it helped my daughter and I connect.

I’ve visited your website a ton of times since I signed up in 2018! It’s been very helpful. Thank you!

Thank you for being here.

I’m finding your site helpful as I start educating myself as a parent of an anorexic. Thank you.

Deborah F.K., member

In the first day of the modules, my husband and I learned how to position ourselves and how to have conversations with her. No more dramatic pleas with reminders of how bad things had become. I listened then spoke calmly and offered information on services she could reach out to. The first thing that changed was her hopeless attitude.

I contacted SAMSHA and they directed me to Allies In Recovery. CRAFT has been a life saver for me, and through it, my daughter.

We have found your offerings very helpful. . . .

In only two days, I already know deciding to join Allies in Recovery was a great decision.

Thank you for ALL of that information. I will dig into all of it. This site is amazing. I feel understood. Thank you.

In her presentation, Drug Court Judge Crawford spoke highly of your resource and recommended it to a room of 75 or so family law attorneys and a few retired judges.

Valerie Botter, Attorney/Mediator

Thank You for all the dedicated and valuable efforts you make day after day, podcast after podcast, post after post…

I listened to the detach/attach podcast on my way to work this morning. It is sensational! Between you […] you have a wonderful way of covering the specifics while at the same time conveying the underlying concepts of detach/attach to build one’s understanding.

Thanks for being there. This forum, the progress chart, and the journal writing here are so helpful to me.

Thank you so much for your quick response to our situation. The suggested scripts and next steps are so helpful. I’ve never felt so supported as a family member of a Loved One.

This is such a helpful site with so many great resources.

Hopefulin2018, Allies in Recovery

This site is a life saver for me. It was the first place recommended to me when I contacted SAMSHA and I have clung to it ever since.

I want to give a shout out to the power of this site and the fantastic suggestions and responses from Dr. Simon Levine and others. It’s only been about 2 weeks since I joined this site, and I started interacting with it about a week ago through journaling, posing a question, or leaving a comment. It dawned on me yesterday that I haven’t broken down in tears in one week and I think it’s because I found permission through this site to take care of myself. The sense of support, not only through the stories of others, but also from the great responses, suggestions, and words of encouragement have been critical in helping me center my thinking. I know the road is long and the roller coaster of emotions isn’t going away (the past two days I was feeling quite angry at my son for his use), but I can tell I’m thinking differently. Knowing I have somewhere to turn for support and guidance is making a huge difference, and I will remain hopeful that CRAFT and my ever improving ability to apply it will help my son find his way back to us and all that his life has to offer. Thank you AIR!

Thanks!!! It is an amazing site and I’m super grateful for it.

As I’m learning through this fantastic site, I see how my feelings of fear and anxiety have led me to react rather than listen, confront rather than seek to understand, and try to control where I have none.

I feel relieved knowing AIR is here. You have done an incredible thing in creating AIR and offering your support. Thank you.

Despite some challenges he now has 90 new sober days. I’ll take it. CRAFT – and your support has been invaluable. Thank you.

Each email and post offers me insight. They are constant lifelines to maintaining my balance. Thank you.

Thanks again for helping us #SeeTheGood. You guys are a lifesaver in a broken world.

UPDATE: I reached my son. At first the conversation was strained…defensive and contentious. (We were disagreeing about treatment issues and he hadn’t been truthful.) Then I made myself switch to CRAFT communication, for example deliberate listening. I sentences (instead of ‘you sentences, Tell me more, That must be difficult, I hear you saying that _____ Within a few minutes of this he started opening up about his housemate’s death. CRAFT helped me give him a safe space to talk about the peer he’d lost. Thank you, CRAFT.

Thank you Dominique! I am so grateful to have found this community. I need support and feedback, especially being a single parent. I have ordered the workbook suggested and come to this site every day. I have watched several modules and find them very helpful. I look forward to continued interaction with everyone here. It is saving my life.

Update, in which CRAFT and compassion continue to work its magic… [In a facilitated meeting with my son and his IOP therapist] Using CRAFT we remained calm. We both worked hard to use I statements instead of You statements… CRAFT and compassion turned what could have been a stormy, stalled meeting into a productive one. We left on loving terms. He said he was surprised how smoothly [things went]…The CRAFT process revealed to us a new way of communicating calmly and effectively. It helped me set boundaries. It helped us shift the decision making (and responsibility for sobriety) on to him where it belongs. It helped me relinquish control. The next days/weeks won’t be easy. But we didn’t make them worse. We built a foundation for conversations (and crises) to come. I’ll take it.

This site has been one of my best sources of support. I recommend it to all the family members I encounter on this journey with our loved ones. I agree with Dominique that you are taking care of yourself by sharing here. I originally began practicing CRAFT to help my son, but have found that it has helped me as much, by learning to control my emotions so the highs and lows are less extreme and therefore less exhausting….

We are using CRAFT to build the bridge and it is helping to calm things down and it has certainly helped my anxiety level. I’m noticing I’m talking more with my son (even though it’s very brief) rather than interrogate him, which is pretty much what our conversations consisted of before discovering CRAFT and AIR. This is a nice change.

As always, you provide such great insight and support. With each response I understand more clearly. Thank you… I find the effect CRAFT has on me also helps me be a better parent… particularly since I’ve learned to chill and make my self care more of a priority.

I wanted to share some very unexpected wins we’ve had. These are behaviors we haven’t seen for a very, very long time. We aren’t in the clear, and I know patience is key, but it’s so nice to finally see a glimmer of hope. Thank you AIR, CRAFT, and this entire community. I’ve read so many of the blog postings and recognize so many of the challenges of living with an LO who uses. I’m hesitant to be too optimistic, but I do continue to be hopeful. Approaching my LO’s use with CRAFT has had such an impact on me. It’s lightened the burden of living with my son’s SUD and is helping me rebuild my life and my relationship with my son. But I must say, I couldn’t do CRAFT effectively without the support of AIR. AIR is what’s helped me see how to apply CRAFT in my situation. AIR has provided me clarity, strength and encouragement. AIR has kept me from reacting and helps me to think strategically about how to best support my son. AIR is making a HUGE DIFFERENCE and I can’t thank you enough.

Feeling good about how to interact with her and feeling hopeful has also helped me with a renewed focus on self care.

Your group helped us to see that we were not helpless and that he needed to take responsibility for his actions and we needed to let him. We may not have done everything as well as we should have, but he is still sober, and that’s a blessing.

He is now in recovery and will be 8 months sober on the 8th, working full time and living independently. Thank you for your program.

CRAFT cleans up your side of the street and provides a light onto the street she should walk down to get help. It’s not 100%. It doesn’t guarantee they will walk down that street, but it is the best position you can take. … Simply brilliant. Let’s keep cleaning our side of the street not only for our loved ones but for ourselves and the rest of the family.

The [podcast] episode is highly recommended. I’ve already forwarded it to other parents. Thanks Laurie. You have supported me in the past as well, in a reply to one of my posts — literally helped me to breathe that day.

My son is by all accounts doing well and in the change process.

Thank you for this amazing resource. I already do not feel so alone as I work through the modules and read parents comments and questions.

Thank you for your response. Your professional words of wisdom, experience and understanding are most appreciated!

CRAFT – and your support has been invaluable. Thank you.

Thanks to AIR, Craft and the podcasts, My LO is starting treatment.

We really have done and seen it all but CRAFT was the first time we were able to bridge the gap between tough love and keeping in contact. My daughter says I saved her life and she seems really grateful and is in a good place.

I recommend you check in with the ‘My Progress’ graphing in the ‘My AIR’ tab. It helps me to see my mindset and I can make adjustments in my thinking as necessary.

The biggest takeaway from AIR for me has been calmness and self care. I am a emotionally needy person. I find online as well as face to face communities can help meet those needs while framing my thinking.

The level of support and encouragement from you is incredible and certainly has played a HUGE role in helping me recover from my addiction to my son’s addiction. Thank you so very much.

A million thanks for your sincere efforts and support. It means the world.

When I read posts like this, I feel hopeful for the plan I am working and it all boils down to love, for my loved one and myself.

CRAFT is such a good combination of demonstrating caring while setting boundaries and limitations

CRAFT has helped me a great deal and I do think it is a good balanced approach. I really have loved the podcasts and I would usually listen before bed and that helped me keep my head in the right place. Truly enjoyed listening.

Fortunately the CRAFT approach has been paying off. He got a job interview today and he is looking for a sober living house to live in.

Thank you Thank you Thank you!. I feel better reading your reply. It helped me relax just knowing I am doing the right things. I posted that she was a bit better today, but I am taking it one day at a time. Thank you again for your continued support.

I don’t believe that I would have ever made it through without this program. I will always continue to work this program everyday. It will still take a while to feel comfortable and trusting, but I do believe that things are looking up. My oldest is going for his bachelor degree, my toughest is working and seems very proud of himself and my husband and I are getting along better than ever. I do have to mention my daughter also, she has always been my rock and is now on her way to a PhD. She is really a survivor through all of this and I am so proud of her. I hope that others reading this get some encouragement. It has been a long road and I cherish every good day. I’m sure there will still be challenges ahead, but I feel following and working this program will help me get through. Thank you so much.

Thank you, I needed some direction and I believe I got it.

I also reach out to the support on this website, listen to the podcast and other forms of peace and support. Thanks for all you do!

I unknowingly used some of the principles of the CRAFT program at some times however, and although it took many years, it led to my recovery in Al Anon and my wife’s through her recovery in AA. Rewarding good behavior and detaching with love from unacceptable behavior finally led to our recoveries. Frustration is now a thing of the past.

CRAFT helped me change my attitude toward my LO from anger to compassion. I also learned to have compassion for myself.

In the past year, we have been practicing calm talking with love and catching him doing things right. He has been able to achieve better sobriety, more confidence in himself and allows us to be involved in advising him on important career decisions. Our house is a far more peaceful place!

I’m always happy to advocate for the great work and support Allies provides. A million thanks.

Thank you so much for these gifts wonderful tools and a wealth of invaluable information!

Dominique, thank you. You always help me rediscover my compassion through the chaos. You help me recenter and help me uncover what gets in the way of me doing what’s best for my son. You are truly a Godsend.

That you would take so much time to respond in such a thoughtful and thorough way means more than I can ever say, Dominique.

This AIR method has assisted me in changing my language, persuaded me to take and/or create a space I have control over ….a positive thing… my day starts with a walk in nature, a coffee, listening to radio personalities….all things I can control.

Thank you so much for this website. I turn to it often to learn, get calm, and get gentle reminders about how to navigate the chaos.

I am truly thankful to have a place to turn when I feel like no one else understands!

It’s so great to have AIR to provide this wonderful advice and support.

Thank you Emily and everyone that coordinates and operates on this site. It is refreshing to witness the level of respect here. I am not sure that some people here won’t go down in history as saints on par with the likes of Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa etc. It’s an inspiration to see the value of human life in spirit and action. We need NO MORE MARTYRS attesting to the pain of living in a culture oblivious to the spiritual value of every human being. I am much obliged. Keep up the morale and its good deeds! I am possibly speaking for more than myself when I implore you to ask the people on this site for help when necessary in your work to make this world a better place Dominique. Thank you.

AIR is a huge part of my support system.

I am hopeful and full of gratitude for the lack of judgment I found here in the most isolated and sad period of time in my 70 years.

He refused treatment, finally lived with me, and I think both of us survived only because of the support of this website. I learned to speak compassion even when I was as angry and depressed as I have ever been.

.Your perspective and support do stay with me. Also, the content on AiR is excellent, and in a steady way! It is very helpful how your responses are specific to someone else and yet relevant to me/all.

[The weekly support calls] . . . are really supportive and she has established easy interactions, even with some varying attendance. Kayla’s emphasis on self care and staying connected to a loved one is reinforced in each call and covers both practical and emotional details.

So often I find myself going back to the modules for guidance and reinforcement.

She is feeling very positive about herself for a change. She sees how far she has come and is creating a plan for (her words) a healthy and happy life. She is making some tough decisions and standing her ground to get what she needs. We couldn’t be happier for her and we marvel at how strong she is. CRAFT has coached us on how to operate as her help and support with a minimum of inserting ourselves into her problems. We have had good tools to work with and for that we thank you all. Looking forward to watching this woman grow in her recovery with a strong network of peers, counseling, and family support. Never lose hope.

We are very grateful for your support and the work you do!

I am impressed with Dominique’s sound and well-grounded advice; for a very challenging dilemma. As a newcomer, this is an awesome exciting website integrating CRAFT and other evidence based proven approaches; and it’s so encouraging to see Families with addiction getting this additional support. Family involvement improves outcomes. Keep up your fantastic work!

Patrick Doyle, LICSW Founder and Coach, Family Addiction Coaching opioidcoaching.com

I have found the Wednesday night video chat with Kayla extremely helpful. You might sit in on one and see how it goes.

[My Loved One] has been clean now for two months . . . She has been happy and determined to move forward. She is ready to live her life again, has started to gain weight by eating right and is starting to come back into our lives, answering the phone and joining family events. While I pray that this is finally the turning point, I know it may not be. However, I find hope that she is going in the right direction . . . ! Lesson learned that even though she relapsed the day after she got out of rehab, she did not lose what she had heard/discovered there and the active use following was sporadic and short term. I thank CRAFT and this site for helping to steer me in the right direction and pray that we may get there!

Over the past year since I joined AIR, I’ve been applying what I learn from Dominique, AIR, and the CRAFT community – little by little – as I’ve been able to given the roller coaster of chaos that SUD brings to a family. As I began to work on my own recovery, through self-care and by staying connected to other parent support groups whose LO suffer from SUD, I began to learn how to release control of trying to fix my son’s SUD. This propelled me to a better place, mentally and emotionally, and now I can more clearly understand the insights and suggestions Dominique shares on this site. I also realize that we have to be patient with ourselves and patient with our LO. I know there is still so much for me to learn, and my recovery is not a linear or a smooth path, but it is a path forward and I hope my son will join me on it one day.

hopefulin2018

I am truly impressed with your site; and I am skeptical of most as most are same old same old and give really bad advice. One of my family coaching clients has already joined AiR; and I intend to refer every client to your site.

She is coming back for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas. We are obviously thrilled and excited about all these positive developments and happy to be able to focus on our younger son a little more and have normalcy back at home. Can’t thank you enough to have supported us getting to this point.

I just want to let everyone on this site know how thankful I am for the AIR community. I joined AIR a year ago and since then I’ve grown so much from all the resources, suggestions, advice, and stories shared on this site. I can now see how focusing on my own recovery from obsessing over my son’s SUD and focusing on my self care are critical in helping me deal with my son’s SUD. Although I never thought I would find myself in the position of experiencing a LO’s SUD, I can’t imagine the wreck I would be today had I not found AIR. AIR reminds me that my son is not his SUD. He is so much more than that and he deserves my love and compassion and I deserve love and compassion, too. Love and compassion are powerful, indeed. I am forever hopeful for my son, and for all our LOs. I am forever grateful for AIR.

I am grateful I found your site. The modules are so helpful. I think they add so much value to a family member and go a step further than NARANON and Alanon.

My parents are alcoholics and I wish I found these modules sooner. Now that I have I want to share these methods with other loved ones.

My son is now in his 5th week of outpatient treatment. He loves the treatment center and said it is the most meaningful thing that has ever happened to him. He is helping others. I am filled with optimism.

I am so grateful to Allies in Recovery. Of course a huge part of this change in direction was that my son was ready. I knew that the window when he would agree to go to treatment would be very small and Allies helped me jump on it when he was ready. My son does not even remember the day he agreed. The hardest part for me was waiting for my son to be ready – and of course the many relapses and the 4 hospital stays for alcohol binges, and so much more. But waiting for them to be ready is excruciating. My heart goes out to other parents and people trying to get off their substances of choice. May you find help.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your wise counsel and support to this point!

Fingers crossed prayers said my son too has made remarkable strides this year and I am thankful for the support and tips and learning the CRAFT method. I prepared as well by finding a treatment center that used the CRAFT method and in my son’s case waited for the consequences (legal) to use as leverage-i.e. when his case finally came to court they would look more favorably on him if he had voluntarily already gone to treatment. I hoped they would and they did-he is on 5 years probation instead of possible jail or prison time which I feared would only alienate him further. Anyway was in treatment for 60 days- a very good sober house (many are not good-choose carefully) combined with a therapy center that specializes in addictions. He came home afterward is working full time, testing this month for electrician’s apprenticeship. He got engaged over the holidays and he and his fiancé are expecting our first grandchild in May. The two new parents to be are living with us we have a big house and it works and preparing for their new roles. Recovery is an ongoing process for all of us as we let go of the past and look with hope to the future. Day by day we grow stronger and healthier together. I could have never predicted all the joys coming our way after so many hard confusing years. I am so thankful for this site and the ways it helped me walk through the dark times with hope and a road map out.

I also have to thank you for your guidance through all of this. I honestly believe that it is practicing CRAFT that has gotten us to where we are today. It hasn’t always been easy for me to follow but I know when I do I see much better results than when I’m not. So thank you.

This is really sound empathic guidance. Thank you Dominique, you have a keen grasp of the nuances and complexities of these issues which is in short supply these days. Keep up your great work supporting families with addiction.

opiodcoaching, Allies in Recovery Professional Member

You guys are awesome.

This is an update on my daughter- she DID complete the residential- we picked her up on Sunday- she’s doing well (…) She said she learned a lot about herself & will continue to. She’s enrolled in an IOP & seeing her therapist & psychiatrist. We continue to watch & rewatch the modules. One day at a time…

Sometimes just the right thing comes at just the right time, and your post was that. I had been especially down about this situation, and your post gave me both hope and concrete direction.

Your Allies in Recovery website gave us strength, a plethora of guidance and, most of all, an understanding of what our loved ones truly need.

Thank you again. Your support is like a lifeboat to me.

Thanks to Craft, I can feel much more positive, for him trying over and over again to stop drinking is a sign of hope, rather than failure. This is an eye opener.

I read the response Dominique gave me in her blog about my question. I would like to thank her so much! I feel so helped and supported! Thank her so much! … I do do my exercises and modules and I find it inspiring and very helpful. It gives me joy to think what I can do to reward him being sober. It also helps me feeling much better, even joyful. It gives a very good sense of direction.

Your content is exactly what DCF social workers can benefit from and will certainly resonate with them and their work.

Dino Martone, LICSW, CADC, LADC,

CAGS Substance Abuse Coordinator Department of Children and Families

I often tell my clients about your website – as I’ve found it to be a great helping tool for families, especially those adverse to Al

Social Worker, Department of Children & Families

I work for the Department of Children and Families and often tell my clients about your website- as I’ve found it to be a great helping tool for families, especially those adverse to Al

Dear Laurie, Thank you so much for this. It is as if I hear myself. It helps me to know that I am not the only one who act like this and felt bad about it. Working and learning and in crisis doing the same as I did before! The time is helping and leading us in more knowledge. That’s for sure. This blog helps me to see. We are not alone.

Allies in Recovery has been my lifeline for several years now.

Incredibly helpful for me. Allies was the single most effective resource which helped reduce my stress and fear to a healthy & constructive level (over time). The personalized advice, attention and help I received from Allies were the greatest gift I could ask for during a time of crisis. Watching the videos helped me stay calm when I felt overwhelmed. My partner deserves all the credit for staying sober. But my life, and my ability to cope, is infinitely better thanks to Allies. It is an exemplary mental health resource, thank you so much.

The modules are obviously something to return to over and over. Listening to the Coming Up for Air podcast (over and over) is helping me gain some sanity. I’m so thankful to have come across this program, I thought I was crazy.

I wanted to let you know how invaluable CRAFT and Allies in Recovery has been. The weekly Zoom meetings continue to make such a difference in my life. Thank you for providing such wonderful resources.

The modules were what hooked me – easy to use and reference over and over. The groups are extremely beneficial. I’ve learned so much by participating.

First and only program where I was supported, encouraged, and understood as the mother of an adult son with SUD. I am a different person now and so is my son. The years (decades) trying to control fix solve etc was exhausting and ineffective. Kayla’s group, modules, and resources are the best there is! I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this program.

All in all I feel she is moving forward and what I have learned and put into play from ALLIES IN RECOVERY is working great for us.

You have saved my sanity and helped me more than any of the hundreds of books and articles I’ve consulted, or the half dozen therapists, for that matter.

I cannot say thank you enough for these resources and this Allies in Recovery community is so supportive and eye opening. A total game changer when it comes to removing this weight I didn’t fully realize I’ve been carrying around since childhood.

I am VERY grateful for the support and learning I had from you, but need to step back in large part because my son is doing so very well. Thanks!

I believe in your program and recommend it above and beyond anything else out there. I believe your methods and training is an answer for many.

It has been an honor and a pleasure to be a part of this amazing group.

My reason for joining this group was to first figure out how to talk to an addict and the modules were so helpful. I’m now aware that my negative, hopeless, desperate comments weren’t appropriate in making her want to seek help.

I have taken all the training, had an all-day session and even counseling. I have learned to communicate about this very difficult topic to my loved one and he is embracing a much more sober lifestyle!

I have only just begun to delve in and I already have learned so much.

We just found your podcast. We love it! It is insightful, helpful and offers practical information we can use immediately.

Thank you sooo kindly for the amazing, well thought out response with amazing insight.

The information and skills are helping me feel more calm because there’s a system to follow.

[P]ractical direction here is helping greatly. We’ve had a few dramatic bumps but progress is clear. . . . I’m no longer afraid, but calm. I have let go of the shame and am embracing the road I’m on. Very strikingly several dear friends who know our whole situation haven’t shunned us as I expected, but love and believe in both my husband and me. It’s worth coming out of the dark and letting people carefully and gradually in.

I have very much enjoyed the program. I learned a lot about connecting with my loved one on the level that she needed, rather than what I “thought” she needed. The tools that the program provided me with helped me and the rest of the family change our words and actions so that our loved one understood that it wasn’t us against her. It took time and practice and patience, but we are all now living in a much better place.

My husband is in earlyish recovery. I’m learning how to regulate my responses and take care of myself. I’m becoming calm as I’m more confident in my thoughts, actions and responses. And I’m more confident in that he will respond well and recover. What I’m learning here is helping so much. I really appreciate the honesty and practical insight with alliesinrecovery.

Laurie MacDougall is a wonderful teacher/facilitator/mentor. She is prepared, knowledgeable, empathetic, and funny, too! (It helps to remember to laugh).

Thank you so much for this guidance and direction, it’s honestly invaluable. I don’t know where I would be without this site, it’s not easy to find CRAFT informed guidance for loved ones where I live. Cruising through all of the topics on the discussion board that relate to the situation is helping a lot too, along with always circling back to the modules. Thanks for your time and for this resource.

I have been able to help my son, and our family with the tools I have learned. Thank you much.

My experience here at AIR has been nothing short of a lifeline in the storm.

I follow Allies in Recovery because I am a social worker treating people with SUDs and their families. I love the CRAFT method, I love the podcast. I use the framework to inform my work with folks going through addiction, and I teach it to their loved ones.

I cannot describe how supported I feel by all of you.

The podcast and the Allies website and support groups are helping me change how I react, interact, and support my loved one. Slowly but surely I am following CRAFT. I am a stubborn old bird and am finding unlearning my behavior is really hard. It’s so easy to return to ancient patterns but I am improving. This program is a lifesaver, especially for me. I am concentrating on changing myself. My loved one will follow his own path.

I feel so much more prepared for whatever comes my way, so I don’t need to be afraid. Wow, what a great adjustment. I’m confident in how I’ll think and respond if needed, so I can enjoy the progress, support my husband and really take care of myself each day. Thinking well has leveled my emotions dramatically. I have to say it worth every bit of work if it only had helped me. But I am so thankful for the part I have been able to do to help my husband too. So this is my encouragement to all here that this insight and instruction can really work and change the dynamic of your life.

As a clinical social worker and family addiction coach I love everything about Allies in Recovery; including the podcast. With a 70% success rate of a loved one entering treatment, CRAFT is an approach my families find extremely valuable. Hearing from others through the podcast series who have recovered from the impact of addiction is useful on many levels.

I am so impressed with what I am seeing. I have encouraged my entire family to sign up today. This will be a fabulous learning resource for us to share together. After researching for months/years I feel like we have found a place to call home. Thank you!

Thank you for showing me another way to think. I’ve listened to every show and always come away with new choices. I listen to every conversation at least twice and reinforce the wonderful skills Allies offers. There’s some nuance added with each repetition. Not only have the tools helped me communicate with my family but I’m now teaching some of the material to my professional colleagues. Bravo Dominique, Laurie and Kayla!

First off, I have to say the free group and this whole website, I can’t say how lost I would be without this site. I had read Beyond Addiction by Foote and the gang, and Get Your Loved One Sober by Meyers in 2016 or so, but the exercises on the website and the chance to have personalized feedback brought my understanding to a whole new level.

I am so grateful for all the ways in which Allies and the connected communities have provided support.

Outside of my professional role, I am a member of Allies in Recovery myself, as I have an adult daughter who has suffered with an Opioid Use Disorder for the last 14 years. I can’t tell you how helpful Allies in Recovery has been for me.

You guys offer a wonderful program. And I really benefited. Please thank everyone for their help and support!!!

D.H., Substance Abuse Coordinator, Western Massachusetts

I would say to anyone who is new to this program that you need to re-take the program a number of times and learn how to use the tools a little at a time. None of us can change immediately even though there is this amazing road map that guides us. We have to practice and try multiple strategies to find what works. In the process of me learning how to use the tools and change my ways it occurred to me that my loved one needed to do the same. If I can’t be expected to learn/change overnight how can I have expected her to change. This program has taught me how to love and understand and empathize differently.

Thanks so much! I have a lot of good things to think about from your post. Allies has been such a help and comfort to me. The good vibes that are so abundantly in and around my life right now are absolutely due to CRAFT.

I am so grateful for all of your help and support in Allies.

Thank you SO much for your incredibly thoughtful and thorough response to my question! I feel so relieved just reading it, and I am going to read and do the modules you suggested. I really feel supported and heartened to know you took such care in crafting a response to my particular situation.

Please keep doing what you are doing. There is no quick, easy way to help a loved one who is struggling. But, with patience and practice we can all learn to support our loved ones in the way they need to be supported.

Thank you for your labor of love!

Thanks for putting together such wonderful tools.

Site visitor

The Wednesday group with Kayla is amazing. So supportive and practical.

Hi: Thank you so much for the very thorough and detailed information. So very helpful. I will certainly go back to the modules. Our son is currently not using (other than pot) and is taking his suboxone to help with cravings. One day at a time. You have certainly given me more valuable information and my husband has read the blog already so progress right there! Hoping to get my other son to read also as he is young and does take things personally. In a world where you don’t always know where to turn for help, this has been immensely helpful in dealing with a horrific situation. Thank you again for taking the time to advise and guide me in these unchartered waters!

It has been an enormous help and I routinely recommend Allies to others in recovery. Thank you for providing a much-needed service to families like mine!

Thank you! Your response is thoughtful and lovely. Without a doubt, I will read it and reread it over and over again, especially over the next few months and I know it will help get me through this challenging time. Every suggestion is so valid and helpful. Thank you very much!

We really appreciate all the support and information Allies provides (modules, podcasts and support groups). It’s empowering to learn new ways of interacting, and also understanding what it might be for them to be going through what they’re going through, it assists in bringing empathy to the table. It replaces angry reactions with more thoughtful and neutral response options. The support groups bring comfort and a feeling of not being so alone and in isolation. Hearing what other people are going through and how they handle is valuable and brings insight.

Great video! Very powerful.

I love your evidenced based CRAFT approach. In fact I preach it to everyone I know loud and proud.

Allies in Recovery member

Going back and looking at the modules on bad days helped remind me how best to deal with situations.

You are an enormous help and comfort. Thank you.

I love CRAFT and how Allies in Recovery helps us implement it. I LOVE the support groups and the modules.

Thank you very much. I also used the CRAFT method to have the talk with him on Wednesday, and that was what allowed him to open up and talk a bit and then agree to get more help.

This was an extremely helpful program to get my partner into treatment and to start setting boundaries that were healthy to get her there. I’ve directed many other people to your services.

I sincerely hope that more and more people, who are dealing with addiction, will discover CRAFT to help their loved ones. I realize that we are just starting on a path to recovery but feel CRAFT was a big help thus far already.

I have listened to your podcasts over the years and they have really helped. Thank you for the work you do, it has truly helped with my sanity over the years.

He seems genuinely happy and he is sober. He calls it starting his new life. We are happy for him. Thank you so much for helping us get to this point.

I like that the modules are presented in a manner that is digestible. There is enough information to get “one going” but is not overwhelming.

Thank you first of all for this support and the offerings I see available here.

I am so very grateful for everything that Allies has done to provide support for me. I have found Allies to be the most helpful resource/organization of any I’ve encountered so far. I was introduced to the CRAFT method by my therapist over 4 years ago, but had difficulty applying it in a practical, concrete way. The modules, resources, live support groups and podcast have done so much to make this happen. Thank you again for everything! You are what keeps me going in this marathon journey.

Your [responses] ground me and give me a rational approach to [jim’s] problems.

Really appreciate your support and the good work you all do!

All in all I feel she is moving forward and what I have learned and put into play from ALLIES IN RECOVERY is working great for us.

Thank you for all the information and knowledge, I have been also listening to your podcasts and it is of tremendous help for me.

On the good side, use seems to be way, way down since Feb 1st.

Allies helped me identify a good treatment program with features that were attractive to my loved one and gave me the techniques to talk to her about it. The support groups helped me see other family members who were dealing with the same problems and that helped me feel I was not alone. I’ve also relied a fair bit on the blogs on the website to think about different types of problems that have come up along the way. We are so much farther along than we were in some ways but stepped back in others. Thanks for helping me hang in there when I feel like giving up!

I love this site.

Love the podcast, Wednesday night group, Laurie’s group. THANK YOU!

[This site] is so hopeful in what seems like a hopeless situation much of the time. Thank you so much for all you have done and continue to do.

Allies in Recovery is a fantastic program and, for me, is more helpful than Al Anon. The approach makes sense and has really helped me grow as a person. Using the techniques from the modules has helped me dramatically improve communication with my LO with SUD. I am much better at setting boundaries and am slowly reclaiming my own life. In fact, I find the principles useful as a guide in all my relationships. My deepest, heartfelt thanks to the Allies in Recovery team!!

You guys went to work with me on everything with the ultimate goal of maintaining the family unit…

I love this program! I think it should be available to everyone! Thank you for all that you do!

You taught me how to give positive feedback, how and when to withdraw, when to disengage, [and] how to temper my anger so that we didn’t do ‘the same old stuff.’

The membership and site are invaluable to me, as are the podcasts. The support group meetings have been so helpful as well and I make them part of my self-care.

Your comments are very helpful and the sample language is very much appreciated.

It has been over two years since you helped me get my daughter to treatment and she has maintained her sobriety!!!

WOW, I cannot believe I am reading what you wrote. This is exactly what I needed and cannot thank you enough.

I am simply thankful for this resource.

I am so grateful for the resources here on this site. Thank you to all who have worked to make this available.

I feel you have been such a lifeline. In the crisis you gave me a roadmap. No scolding, no platitudes. Just a way to understand what was happening to us and some solid advice on the actions & attitudes that could help me help him. The tie I still feel to you gives me comfort—knowing you are there if things go south. I am so very grateful.

I’m not sure if you understand how valuable your recommendations are to me. During crises like this I truly appreciate your input.

You all are amazing and do great work, thank you for everything you do! Especially the podcast- excellent.

I love the way CRAFT uses words in a positive way.

This is a fantastic program!!!

Your website has been extremely helpful for me and I really felt it’s been the best resource ever offered to families struggling with addiction issues.

There is really nothing else like it around & I am Truly Grateful for all the support this program offers! Please continue to be a reliable source for others as you were for me.

Andrew Agwunobi, MD

Podcasts are extremely helpful for me.

You are doing important and necessary work. [I feel] great gratitude.

I love the videos, teachings, modules, well everything about Allies in Recovery.

I can’t tell you how impressed I am by your message! . . . You should be proud. What you do is so important.

This program was a great resource when I needed it the most.

Dr. Lina Racicot, Director of Graduate Psychology, American International College

Love the online group support and leaders.

I want to say THANK YOU for your thoughtful comment to my concern. You really understand what I am going through.

The podcast is something I truly value. I listen multiple times to episodes.

I appreciate the variety of support and information Allies in Recovery offers

I have found the lessons and the podcasts to be really beneficial. When my husband is in a binge I find the podcasts to be extremely helpful because they teach and remind me how to respond and ever since I started listening and doing the lessons my anxiety and stress around his drinking has gone substantially down.

Thank you for the courage to take a stance on this sensitive subject and to open the door for discussion!

When I have time, I love to join Kayla’s evening sessions. The group is inclusive and has a solid CRAFT focus. Kayla is an amazing facilitator.

Hello, this site is an incredible resource, so well organized and so well thought out.

Learning CRAFT has improved my communication and understanding of the complexities of SUD and relationships. I’ve learned some skills to improve my part to create a better bond and hopeful for positive results.

Thank you ALLIES IN RECOVERY you are wonderful!

Allies has helped me learn to process what I am worrying about, practice what I have learned in the modules, the discussions, etc and then let go. I actually have implemented Allies in other difficult conversations and situations that arise in families. I have suggested Allies to others dealing with substance abuse within their family or close relationships.

This is a wonderful site, there is so much to learn…

What I like most is it is easy to find what I am looking for. For example if I wanted to review modules, contact info, weekly meetings links and announcements of upcoming seminars, all these are very visible.

I appreciate your site so much. It’s brought me such peace of mind and guidance.

Allies in Recovery is the greatest resource I have ever seen, the individuals I have met are the most caring people I have ever met, my life is not the same because of the impact it has made in my life.

Thank you so much for your kind and wise response!

Your program, in addition to Al-anon and two private counseling sessions with a substance abuse counselor were the key to helping my loved one. I truly appreciated the lessons, techniques, and tools to change my behaviors in a way that might likely support my loved one’s recovery.

I am so grateful for this support. This is exactly what I need.

I like the ability to join a support group and interact with others on the same path that I am on with our son.

This [post] was so very clarifying and helpful, thank you.

The training session taken this month was also very helpful and informative… well delivered by Laurie, and excellent material.

This [post] was extremely helpful and eye-opening how to use the site and behaviors I need to change. Thank you.

The philosophy of this site has been invaluable to me. It’s hard to know the indirect impact on my loved one although things are positive. So much is dependent on his choices.

Thank you does not even begin to express how much I appreciate your support.

Allies is not my only source of information and support in recovery as a family member. However, it is very helpful. I have been through all the modules, attended a couple meetings with Laurie, and listen to and recommend the podcast “Coming Up for Air” to all the family members I meet on this journey. You are doing excellent and life-saving work. You are an important tool in my recovery toolkit.

Thank you very much for this resource. I had wished for something exactly like this.

We are a work in progress and meetings and practice practice practice has been most helpful. Love live interaction.

An amazing website!

I am very happy with the format, the modules, the quick response to questions and Kayla Solomon’s group.

Director of a Family Support Services Facility

I found all the videos to be very informative and educational. The material was easy to understand and explained very well.

I am so grateful for all your guidance and support! Thank you just doesn’t seem enough.

I really respect the work Allies in Recovery have done to provide people with the knowledge and steps for navigating the turbulent path of having a loved one in addiction. I really love the language and scenarios- that’s what helps me. It also gives me strength and perspective. Thank you for being a resource and for offering people hope. I grateful for all you do.

I am so grateful to have found Allies in Recovery as a source of support and education so I can better understand my daughter’s addiction and recovery.

I like so much about the site: the topics, the index, the modules, the ability to ask questions and get answers. You are very responsive and helpful.

I thank Dominique so much for the support she has given.

I facilitate a weekly support group for family and friends (through SMART Recovery) and I often refer people to Allies in Recovery. Keep up the good work!

By following the CRAFT modules and blogs on this site, along with help from Dominique and her team I am happy to say that my family is flourishing.

It was very helpful to have a support group, podcast, and someone to make an appointment with in emergencies.

Thank you Dominique and CRAFT. We are so, so blessed.

The modules are good! I need to get in and finish them and likely repeat them.

I am enjoying learning about the CRAFT method and finding it really valuable…..Keep up the great work, and thank you.

Thank you for Allies & CRAFT. I worked an Al-Anon program for many years. Your approach is different & refreshing to me. More concrete examples of what to try. Very appreciative to everyone involved in these amazing programs. After 20+ years, I still have work to do on myself & how I interact with others. Living with addiction caused me so much stress. It goes away & comes back. I love Coming Up for Air.

Your emails encouraging people to make the most of the site are . . . really helpful in being supported.

There is SO MUCH value in the podcast episodes about how to manage when your loved one is struggling with substances. How to relate to your loved one, how to care for yourself, how to make a positive difference in your loved one’s life.

Thank you so much for your follow up and your hands on support!

I have learned so many useful tools listening to your podcast. I’m so grateful for your knowledge and wisdom. Thank you!

It is very uplifting to me to have your help on the Allies in Recovery site.

The podcast is so valuable to me in my family recovery journey. Re: episode: Did my comment make him drink. I learn so much from these podcasts and recommend them to everyone I volunteer with in family recovery. But this episode was exceptional. Listened to it twice in quick succession. Appreciate Laurie bringing up the use of stigmatizing language and how we are all working to change it. Thanking you Laurie, Kayla & Dominique for the podcast and your commitment to family recovery.

The website is great.

I listen weekly to learn new ways to change what I can – in my relationship with my loved one with an alcohol use disorder. Laurie, Dominique, and Kayla have so much collective wisdom to share that sometimes I listen to an episode two or three times.

A professional in the field of Addiction

Modules are mostly a way of learning that works for me. Groups and office hours are great. Appreciate how practice oriented they are. Additional resources are also helpful.

I appreciate the support, it made a difference

You provide such a wonderful resource for the community.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I am very grateful for your perspective and encouragement, along with your patience for my own struggles! Truly, discovering Allies in Recovery and being able to connect with you are gifts beyond measure with the difficulties of substance abuse.

I had the best communications with him and didn’t realize the influence I had start course Jan he spent 56 days clean out of treatment 7 days he lost his battle and past away. My only child he was 39 years old. Thank you for allowing me to able to talk to him in a peaceful manner that he responded to.

LIKES: the blogs and replies, knowing that there are so many in the same situation and can relate and share, the alphabetical list of information, the soothing music/videos, a resourceful place to go.

I am finding this site to be very helpful, like an easy to access al anon meeting on the go and very user friendly. Thank you so much for your energy and efforts!

I like the site very much, especially the direct advice section. I also think the learning modules are very well done and useful. I haven’t been that impressed with the couple of podcasts, but that’s probably because I have read much that was covered in these programs. I’ve recommended your site to several people Thank you!

So helpful to be able to go to the website any time when I’m needing support….and help refresh my memory on suggestions I had read in the past……especially when I in crisis with my son’s addiction issues Love the podcast that has been recently added….like to listen while I’m baking in the kitchen Many thanks for all your help.

I love the realistic/plain talk way of how to interact with your loved ones. I find value in Al-anon, but I also find it to be a bit abstract. The Allies in Recovery videos are very practical. The videos are also empathetic to both the loved one and substance abuser. They try to help you see their side of it. The site in general helps you get the focus back on yourself, but also gives you action to take to help your loved ones. I love the CRAFT method and had read a lot about it, and this website puts it in an easy to use format. I also like that there are professionals behind the site and experts. The issue I have run into with Al-anon is that it is just peer to peer advice and that comes from mostly just people’s experiences, and how it worked for them. There is benefit to this, and I am a member of Al anon but Professional advice in my opinion is something that is needed too. The only thing I would suggest to improve site is that you have to sign in a lot, it seems like every 5 minutes if you aren’t active on it. However, I could also understand you do that for security purposes so it isn’t that big of a deal if it didn’t change. Thank you so so much for this site!

Thankful for what it is. More communication modules and videos or ways to practice strategies for changing long entrenched styles of communication that feed into dysfunction.

Improve? No. This site saved my (emotional) life. My family is not united in our responses but I am hopeful they will use this site and we can better understand each other. Thank you.

This organization is so impressive. Dominique Simon Levine offers clear, compassionate and intelligent advice. It’s a wonderful resource for families trying to support their loved ones in the challenges to recover from substance use. Spread the word!

It has been a learning experience, to say the least. I am so happy to share that one of my nephews is coming up on his 1-year anniversary of sobriety and I am so proud and happy for him. I cannot express how grateful for all the support, kindness and education you all gave me. Especially, Dominique Simon Levine, PhD Founder & CEO. I am in awe of you and your dedication and support. I was at my wits end and you were amazing to me. He successfully, networked and started meetings the day after we landed in LA. Completed his IOP. Found a Sponsor who is amazing. Got a job that he has held for 6 months and is now living with a few other friends who are also sober. Continues to network and is thriving. I am so grateful and he is very proud of himself, which is huge! I continue to educate myself and one of the most important lessons was and still is. It’s not about me, it’s his journey, I only provided an opportunity and could not have done it without you Dominique and ALLIES IN RECOVERY. It’s so hard to watch someone you love struggle and if you need to take a step back. Do it, because if you don’t you will suffer just as much watching.

Light and love to all. Desperate aunt is not desperate anymore 🙂

Much appreciated Dominique…your site is a tremendous comfort to me. Knowing I’m not alone or unique in this battle makes the battle seem winnable

CRAFT! Where have you been all my life?

I know that Allies In Recovery has impacted me and my family in such a positive way. I am much stronger and better able to take care of myself because if it. I also have a special place in my heart for Dominique, she has no idea what a difference she has made.

Thank you so much, I am so grateful for your response, it is exactly what I needed to hear. I have a session with my therapist scheduled, and the hospital was fantastic with post care referrals for the both of us. My partner is doing well too, she does seem to have a new renewed sense of urgency for staying sober.

I right along have been doing the e-course and will continue to along with readjusting my exercises. I can’t state to you enough how great this ecourse is. It’s practical, informative, and empathetic to the addict and the loved one watching just the same. The CRAFT method is a Godsend because it’s much more humane in my view. This isn’t an easy process, however I have learned so Much along the way.

Thank you again for your time.

Thank you for sharing this [post]. It has given me another perspective and most importantly HOPE! I think it is time I look at myself a little closer.

Anonymous member

This morning [I] listened to the podcast on the CRAFT method which is excellent with so many relevant concepts and details come out in such a caring/sincere format.

I have found [your emails] to be very informative and helpful as I work with families encountering loved ones with addiction and offer support to them on how to navigate the road ahead.

Your website is incredibly smart and helpful and I’ve recommended it to many others…

Thanks so very much for all the support and information. Makes me hopeful.

920Sunshine!, member

Sincere thanks. You have been invaluable.

I have benefited from CRAFT and from Allies in Recovery by helping me understand the mechanisms at work, understanding my own role, and being able to recognize concrete steps to help preserve my own emotional health and that of the rest of my family.

Reflecting on the year since my resolution, my lesson is that anything can happen. I learned to let go of some of the things that were beyond my control, and try to identify what I *could* do that would help.

Every email/post I read pertains to my situation. I learn every time. It’s like a lifeline. I cannot thank you enough.

. . . Our son is finally doing well in recovery and we are thankful for that . . . he acknowledges our love and support now! and is very thankful as well.

Going through the modules in here calmed me down . . . though it seemed really hard at first, eventually it worked to help me learn to say the right things at the right time. . . .

[I learned] to back off when it was not the appropriate time; also to keep myself from going overboard.

I have used your learning skills on my son. These skills have given me a great understanding of addiction and ways to communicate with my son. My son has responded to my behavior and has really opened up to me in regards to his addiction. The most important role you played was teaching me the skills getting him into treatment. THANK YOU!

I am so appreciative of this resource.

Your site is incredible and your resources and answers to questions are incredibly thorough and helpful.

I appreciate the emails that come in. They are the perfect ‘nudge’ to remind me to look at the site again.

The podcast is wonderfully relatable…

I was already familiar with CRAFT and was really pleased to find that AIR is so comprehensive.

Generally speaking, you provide very informative and positive feedback to everyone who reach out here. I consider myself to be a private person who does not easily confide. The opportunity for me to ask for help with my post hoping to get some support is a great relief. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your feedback….Your platform is awesome!!

I am new to this program, and I very much appreciate all that I have learned here.

Thank you so much again for creating this website. I am so impressed with all it. And I wish I would have known about it 5 years ago. Thanks again.

I have been implementing the positive talk with him for a couple of days now, and we have had some days that are just great…

If it was not for Allies in Recovery we would still be in limbo and useless in helping our loved ones.

These methods of interacting with my son have worked phenomenally. I can’t thank you enough for creating this site. I will tell every person I know about it.

For a long time many people where telling me I needed to practice tough love with my son. That never felt right to me. But, I did try it and it was disastrous ….. I wanted more direction on how to interact with my son. I started surfing the web for other options ….. Long story short, I found Allies through YouTube, and I feel like I just won the lottery. It is by far the best information I have found to help effectively interact with my son. I have had awesome results from using this new way of communicating. It is so easy to implement, and I love that the website has video modules and a place to ask questions and get answers. I will be telling all the parents [in my PAL group] about Allies, and I’m so excited to be given the opportunity to possibly share information that could help another parent.

Thank you again for all your help and for being a part of such a great organization. I hope the CRAFT method is the wave of the future for families like ours. It is the first thing that I have found that I feel completely comfortable with, and it has been so effective.

The new developments to the website are very positive. You are offering a wonderful service and much sound advice to the families of addicts. Keep up the good work!

This organization is so impressive. Dominique Simon Levine offers clear, compassionate and intelligent advice. It’s a wonderful resource for families trying to support their loved ones in the challenges to recover from substance use.

The support and feedback you offer on this site has been so helpful on this journey.

There is so much rich content on AiR. I find it really helpful how your posts capture the frustration and difficulty of situations while offering perspective, techniques and practicalities. It’s amazing how you do that! Thank you for all your offerings and the site’s varied resources.

Thank you for creating such a great program. I have seen drastic positive changes in my son, and I know Allies was a big part of that.

Thank you so much for your advice […] this site is really helping me so much, I appreciate it all.

Thank you for all you do.

I have been suggesting to many of my family intervention clients to use this amazing resource. I find my clients value your work and it is helping.

Bill Stevens, Therapist & Interventionist, www.redchair.co.uk

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Wenham MA. I was trained in CRAFT many years ago and have been a devoted member of Allies in Recovery for several years.

Thank you, Dominique. I’m sure your website has changed many lives. Thank you for your passion.

AIR has been a lifeline for me. It has enabled me to deal effectively with my son who has struggled with alcoholism for over 10 years.

First of all, I would like to say I am very thankful for the Allies in Recovery site. It has helped us with our 23-year old son so much. I appreciate all the hard work Dominique and the other members have done to make this such a great resource.

I recently asked a question about my son and the issue he had with motivation. The Allies in Recovery website offered awesome advice. Thank you for that.

I want to thank you for all of the care you give to families and other loved ones who are trying so hard to battle this horrible disease.

The modules, the blog, the connection with others fighting just as hard is amazing. Please continue on…we are eternally grateful.Mothra, member May God bless you all for the wonderful work that you do.

Thank you again for establishing this website….I gain so much wisdom from all who are a part of Allies in Recovery

Learning CRAFT skills gives me the confidence because I can be helpful in a small amount of time rather than before where I spent all the time sorting out what was helpful and not.228, member Always poignant and helpful posts