Niece Iysa and Uncle Jeff.
Honoring Achievements: Jeff was in active addiction for fourteen years. It was impossible to see a future for our family that was healthy and complete. I was mired in confusion and Jeff was slowly destroying himself. This week, I’m reminded of how very much our lives have changed as Jeff celebrates the fifth anniversary of his music label Cascine. Our family honors this milestone alongside Jeff.
My reflection: When in the throes of active addiction, life – for both the addict and the family – becomes a struggle for health and survival. Things often change dramatically when sobriety enters the picture. Reminders are all around us, when we stop and look for them.
Today’s Promise to consider: It’s imperative to never give up hope with our addicted loved ones. There are many success stories of people who have survived an addiction and come home to themselves and their families. Jeff is one of the lucky ones. Today and every day, we’re grateful.
Beautiful, and so inspiring.
Thank you!
Love,
Nanci
Thank you for your thoughts so well put. My son is 6 months sobor today. He either never got to 6 or hit 5 mo and relapsed. T
My disappointment was always so painful when he relapsed. This recovery is different but 2 weeks ago he was helped to realize he was in P.A.W.S and needed to hit his recovery harder to get through. Hard to see him in this very real mental place. I realized I was slipping into old habits as he began to pull me in. The fear of losing him again was like a stomach punch and the PTSD of his past active addiction came back. Your words are a good reminder of my role at this time. And that there is hope – always. I am grateful for my recovery program.
A life for my son after the chaos and destruction of the past 15 years is hard to imagine, but hearing about the joy that Jeff, and other addicts in recovery find in their lives once they are clean really helps. I always have hope, but no longer have expectations. Hope without expectations keeps me connected to the part of my son that is loving and kind, and protects me from the pain and disappointment of addiction and relapse.
Parents of addicts encounter an enormous amount of anxiety. Actually, individuals with addictions have negative results happening that relate to their decisions to keep on being addicted. One of my friends was a drug addict and it was the in-patient treatment program (http://www.edgewood.ca/inpatient-addiction-treatment ) and also his family’s support that helped him get out of this trouble.