When addiction first crept into our household 11 years ago, I started keeping a journal. Retreating to clean white paper became my refuge. The blank pages stared back, non-judgmental and welcoming. On their unvarnished surface I poured out my anguish, fear, confusion and shame. It was the only place – until many years later – …
A mom phoned the other day to talk about her daughter, just 19, living in a far-away state. The girl had been abusing drugs for several years, drifting in and out of treatment centers. She wanted desperately to “come home,” again. After listening carefully, I asked this distraught mother, “How is your husband handling this?” …
Because of COVID, my family will not be together this Thanksgiving. But we’ll be fine. We have years of warm memories. All, except one. When Jacob was actively using and falling deeper into addiction, Thanksgiving brought only sadness. He was 21. Weeks before the holiday he entered his first inpatient treatment. After years of abusing …