In the summer of 2012, the mountains I love taught me something I didn’t want to learn. We were at a swim meet under a hot, bright sky, the bikes were on the back of the car for an afternoon ride, and my phone started buzzing with the same question from different friends: Can you see the smoke? At first, it felt far away, just a gray plume on our hill. We finished the meet. We went for that ride. We told ourselves it would be fine. By the time we headed home, the texts had sh

There are seasons in life when everything feels like forward motion - doing, fixing, planning, managing, helping. For many years, that was how I measured progress, my own, and others'. If I was moving, I must be okay. If I was doing something to help my son, maybe we’d both be okay. But there comes a point, usually after a long stretch of over-doing, when you realize that the pace you’ve been keeping has left you winded in ways you can’t see. The calendar looks full, the lis

For a long time, I thought the only way things would get better was if my son changed. If he just stopped the problem behavior. If he...

Every September, the nation recognizes National Recovery Month. This year’s theme - Home, Health, Community, and Purpose - couldn’t be...

Writing the Hardest Part I have a book coming out on September 9th. Even just writing that sentence brings up a wave of emotion. Because...

I Am Not OK, and That’s OK This support group theme from a few months ago hit home recently in a way I didn’t quite expect. "What am I if...

For the past three years, I’ve been quietly, and sometimes obsessively, watching the Big Bear eagle family, Jackie and Shadow, from afar....

When someone you love is struggling with substance use or mental health challenges, life can start to feel painfully small. Relationships...

For so long, your life has been moving at full speed. Every day felt like an emergency, every phone call a potential crisis. Your...

If you love someone struggling with substance use disorder (SUD), life can feel like a constant storm. The worry, the fear, the sleepless...

February can be tough. The excitement of New Year’s resolutions is gone, and if things haven’t gone the way you hoped, it’s easy to feel...

If you’re here, it’s likely because someone you love is struggling with mental health or substance use disorder. That journey is...

As the year winds down, there’s a natural pull to reflect on what was, what is, and what could be. For families affected by a loved one’s...

There’s a common story in the A.A. community that resonates deeply with me, and with many families who are on the journey of supporting a...

Supporting the Journey of Parallel Recovery™ When my son was deep in the grips of his addiction, I often felt like I was living life on...

Parallel Recovery - Supporting the Journey of Families I remember a time when I had convinced myself of a story. It wasn’t a good story;...

Imagine this: You love someone who is struggling with their mental health, and you’re watching them spiral, feeling helpless. It’s a...

When my youngest son recently opened up about the role he took on during his brother's struggles with addiction while on a long road trip...

I vividly remember my son standing in my kitchen, sifting through the fridge with a friend telling me that they were "helping each other...

Picture this: Your loved one is struggling with addiction, and it feels like your world is crumbling around you. You're hurting, and...