Looking Beyond The Peephole of Addiction
There are many books about addiction. Some are written by mothers who give you a glance into their private world of what it’s like having a daughter who is NOT in recovery when the book begins such as if you love me: A mother’s journey through her daughter’s opioid addiction (Henry Holt: 2018) by Maureen…
Read More“People, Places, and Things” to Avoid During the Holidays
Families will be reuniting for the holidays soon. How will it be different after the Covoid pandemic? No longer isolated, how will this family time be different from last year? For the returning college student or the child leaving rehab, how will this visit play out? According to the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murphy,…
Read MoreGetting the Best Treatment? Not if your child Feels Stigmatized
Parents want the best treatment for their children who have substance abuse disorders yet only 18% of those who misuse drugs, including alcohol, receive treatment for their addiction, according to psychiatrist Nora Volkow, M.D., Director of National Institute on Drug Abuse. Stigma Why? Stigma is the main reason behind the reluctance to go to doctor, …
Read MoreAddiction Stigma Keeping Away Those Who Need Treatment
The Surgeon General Jerome Adams states that “stigma keeps people from coming forward and asking for help.” Stigma is defined as a set of negative beliefs that a group or society holds about a topic or group of people. It can affect a person’s self-esteem based on assumptions, preconceptions and generalizations, wrote Lauren Villa, MPH,…
Read MoreWhen Grandma Becomes Ma
When my father suddenly died in his thirties, my Mother had to go to work to support four children. Her different jobs included bookkeeper, fabric converter (I still don’t understand what that involved), creator of a terry cloth tunic that was publicized in Ladies Home Journal. During my Mother’s absence, my eldest sister “Betsy” would,…
Read MoreSelf-Defeating Behaviors That Parents of Substance Abusers Believe
Self-Defeating Behaviors that Parents of Substance Abusers Believe Guilt: I caused the addiction. I must be a bad parent! If I can’t control my child’s behavior, then I must be a bad parent! Gone are the days when you could send your child to his room for punishment, take away her allowance or deprive him…
Read MoreHonoring Those Lives Gone From Opioid Overdose
The American Medical Association on August 14th warned that more than forty states have reported increases in opioid related mortality, according to ABC News.com. The increase is not surprising because of the isolation generated by the Covid-19 virus. Each year, National Overdose Awareness Day is celebrated around the world. It is a time to learn…
Read MoreEnabling or Caring?
When I was growing up, the BIG “C” was whispered among my parents’ friends. It was as if that disease as well as less serious health concerns such as hysterectomies, were regarded as moral failings, not to be discussed. To be sick was to be weak Years later, the dreaded Cancer was talked about openly,…
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