I just reviewed a wonderful book available on Kindle from Amazon. It is called the Healing Game. One of the first things to go for parents who have a child struggling with addiction is HOPE. We get consumed by fear and we begin to doubt that things will ever change. This book follows the stories of three young people from the first time they picked up a drug or alcohol to the long road to recovery. Many years ago I started reading the blog of one of the authors, Parent ofAddict. It was during the time that I was desperate for help. I was on the internet a lot searching for answers. I came across the blogs of other parents of young people affected by addiction. I found that although some of those blogs were written by parents who like me, were filled with despair there were others like Parent ofAddict who offered hope and encouragement.
Over the years I have found my way out of that dark place I was in and I too have learned as long as the addict is breathing there is always a possiblity of recovery. I have attended open AA meetings as well as AA speaker meetings and I have heard first-hand accounts of young people who have found their way back to a sober life. Today after nearly 15 years of drug use my son is living a sober life. It isn't easy. It has taken a lot of work and a willingness to change. My son attends 12 step meetings, he lives and works with other sober men, he offers hope and encouragement to others who want to get out of the grips of addiction. He is living a sober life one day at a time. A few years ago I would not have believed that my son would be working in a drug rehab and receiving a recognition award for his hard work. Addiction once robbed my son of everything that was of value to him. Today he is reclaiming the life he was meant to live. I am grateful for that. I am grateful that I never gave up hope.
If you are a parent of an young person struggling with addiction or if you know someone who is this book is for you. Never give up. Never stop believing in the possibility of recovery.
What you say is entirely true. It is very easy to fall into despair...after all this is your child in the grip of something nefarious and he or she refuses to loosen that grip. So everything can look very dark indeed. But my daughter like your son finally came home to sanity. She was a Heroin Addict. Today she is clean, in college on The Deans List and has a lovely boyfriend. Even when her father, my husband, died in Late August she stayed steady. I don't know if it's a miracle or just long hard work on her part. But, like your son, she is an example of why there must always be hope and why we cannot ever give up. Am terribly happy that your son is finally well. May they both stay that way throughout their lives and live to see all the blessings that can be theirs. Forever, may hope reign. Much Love to you, Jean
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