In times of crises, children are taught – Look for the Helpers.

Spot a dark blue or brown uniform. Maybe a bright yellow hat.  A white vest with a red cross.

But with addiction – and all the crises it brings – the helpers are not so obvious.

When my son’s substance abuse began, I searched, sometimes frantically, for the counselors, therapists, social workers and physicians who could help.

Some did.

But it wasn’t until Jacob left our home to find his in the South Florida addiction and recovery community that the true helpers emerged.

• The older man, 30 years sober, who’d seen it all. He knew my son and he saw that Jacob still had a long way to go.
• The manager of the coffee shop who hired him, and months later fired him. But she understood addiction.  A few years into recovery herself, she taught Jacob about second and third chances.
• The young man. just a few years older than Jacob but so much wiser, who said yes to being his sponsor and, step by step, guided him back to life.

And there were many others like them.

Helpers emerged in my life as well.  Even though it took years, once I looked, it was easy to find them.  They’d been meeting in a church basement for decades.

Through unending days I clawed through every resource I knew to find the helpers my son needed – or so I thought.

But he had to find them for himself.  As did his mother.

Yes, there are angels among us – the people who restore our souls – the helpers.

But to find them, you have to look.