It’s curious how recovery brings a fresh take on so much in everyday life. Like holidays. And especially this one – Mother’s Day. When my son was in active addiction, Mother’s Day was a day to despise. As it approached, I felt the already high tension tightening even more. Just get through it, I thought. …
Recently, my husband and I spoke at a treatment center for adults suffering with addiction. In front of us sat some 25 men and women, a few in their twenties, but most seemed much older, in their fifties or sixties. We talked about our son, how his addiction began in high school and haunted his …
He’s still waiting. Somehow my husband thought, magically, once our son was in recovery and had a decent job he would offer to pay for all the shattered side mirrors on our Chevy Trailblazer that he drove during high school. Just one of many “expenses” from his years with addiction. And since he was in …
It’s still happening. Despite the headlines that tout fewer deaths due to overdose and fewer young people using drugs, I still meet mothers and fathers whose children – as the first step in Al-Anon and AA says – are making their lives “unmanageable.” It’s why they come to church basements and fellowship halls. They seek …
If you’re any kind of flyer, you know the lines. Make sure your seat belt is fastened. Seatback and tray table in their full upright position. And the most enigmatic of all, when flying with small children, secure your own oxygen mask first. If you’re a parent, sometimes it feels like you’re flying with …
My son just celebrated 14 years in recovery. January is his anniversary month, holding the day he gave up his obsession with drugs and began a new way to live. It is the reason we relocate to South Florida this month every year – to be with him and his friends – and to acknowledge …
Wash your hands, the experts say, again and again and again. Flu has permeated South Florida. Surrounded by my son’s friends, many in long-term recovery, it makes me wonder. What is someone with an addiction to painkillers or alcohol supposed to do when a hacking cough keeps them up at night? Or a fever? Or …
It is January and I am again ensconced in South Florida. This is the annual visit – almost a retreat – to live in my son’s neighborhood and soak up, not so much the sun, but his nearness. With his invitation my husband and I attend one of his weekly meetings. It is an otherwise …
We may never know the full story. A child kills his parents. That’s horrific enough. But what makes the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner even worse – if that’s possible – is how the revelation further fuels shame surrounding addiction. Even among rich and famous families, shame lives. The news hurls me back, calling …
Fifteen years. That’s how long my husband and I have been attending Al-Anon meetings, most of them in the same kindergarten room at a nearby church. Fifteen years of sitting beside tiny desks in a circle embracing other mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, and friends who care about them. We all come for the …