Personal Stories

Get advice and perspective from families who have also been impacted by substance use or addiction.

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Collaboration Helps You, Your Partner and Your Child

When it comes to a child using drugs or alcohol, collaboration with your co-parent is key.

I Wish I Had Learned to Listen Sooner

What do I wish I had done differently?

The Emotions I Experienced as the Parent of a Child With Addiction

After experiencing and acknowledging emotions brought about in parenting an addicted child, I believe that I will better cope with negative feelings that arise.

Detaching With Love: How I Learned to Separate My Son and His Addiction

Detach from the actions, crimes, drug use, and lying. Love and support the person inside, not the addiction controlling his life.

My Son’s Drug Addiction: What I Learned About Myself

Like many parents, I felt that my son's addiction was every bit of my problem as it was his. I didn't know what I was doing wrong.

Taking Action Against My Son’s Addiction

From honor student to nearly failing his freshman year, my son was on the fast-track to the dark side. Though he hadn't developed an addiction, he was well on his way.

6 Things My Husband and I Did to Save Our Marriage

Dealing with our daughter’s addiction was by far the most difficult and the most painful thing we have had to navigate together as a couple.

5 Things I Did After My Teen Was Caught Drinking

I was wracked with worry and felt guilty for not knowing that she was drinking alcohol in the first place. “How could I have missed it?!”

4 Lessons I Learned From Confronting My Teen With Addiction

When addiction hit my daughter, it was like a tornado hitting our home from the inside out. Learning to talk to her was like learning a different language.

How Personal Stories Can Help Fight Teen Pressure To Use Drugs

Education about the dangers of drug and alcohol use is all about being relatable. By sharing his personal story, my son helped kids think differently.

Acceptance Doesn’t Mean Condoning a Loved One’s Addiction

Accepting that a loved one has a drug or alcohol problem doesn’t mean you condone it.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Knew Your Child Was Struggling With an Addiction?

As parents of loved ones with a drug or alcohol addiction, how many times did we blow right through the warning signs as if they weren’t even there?

The Key to Dealing With My Son’s Addiction? Setting Boundaries for Myself

I have learned that there is a big difference between rules and boundaries. My misunderstanding of this before is a regret I live with every day.

Surviving and Thriving During the Holidays With a Child’s Addiction

How do you have fun or enjoy anything when someone you love is lost in their disease?

How I Cope with the Addiction in My Young Adult’s Life

I understand that there is truly only so much that I can do to save my daughter from addiction. Ultimately her recovery is between her and her Higher Power.

A Mother’s Love and Hate for Her Son With Addiction

Substance use turned this mother’s son from a normal 20-year-old to someone she no longer recognized.

My Parents Never Talked to Me About the Dangers of Drugs and Alcohol

Alcohol and drug use was an issue we never talked about in my family. It wasn’t too long before I found myself dealing with addiction.

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