Blog

“…not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is (human*) connection.”  That is how Johann Hari ended his TED Talk on “Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong.”

By York Ast on January 15, 2023

Drugs make him numb out
They prevent him from feeling
I’m scared for my son

By Sheila L on December 29, 2022

Staying Tethered

Selfcare & Personal Growth

I was meditating in the bath the other night, with my favorite binaural beats pulsating through my water-resistant headphones the other night (Have you discovered binaural beats yet? Magical!). I […]

By Beth Syverson on December 15, 2022

An online search of “mental health during the holidays” brings up a barrage of articles from sources including the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mayo Clinic, and Harvard Medical School, […]

By Casie Fariello on December 5, 2022

As Equals

Substance Use Disorder

While soft piano music and warm lamplight lit the family room, I was reading a long book when my sister brought my brother home from a night of using in […]

By Zachary Johnson on November 30, 2022

The term “stigma” has a long and complicated history, and countless definitions to describe it. Researchers across time have broken down stigma into differing types, including internal and external (or […]

By Casie Fariello on November 21, 2022

The Story in My Head

Substance Use Disorder

Without knowing it, I had a definite agenda for my son’s life. I had a story in my head of how his life would unfold. I envisioned him living a fairytale […]

By Sheila L on November 15, 2022

In 2014, two bombs were thrown into our family: Addiction and Mental Illness. It was like the chicken and the egg. Which one came first?

By Laura Peterson on September 30, 2022

While everyone initially resisted our family’s transformation (including myself), I think we can all now agree that we are stronger and more connected than ever.

By Jenny L on September 15, 2022

Wondering Path

Selfcare & Personal Growth

My admiration of walking in the woods, as serpentine as it might be, did not translate to my expectation of a recovery path. Nope. Not one bit.

By Michael Fariello on August 15, 2022

The Gift of Gratitude

Selfcare & Personal Growth

Gratitude is a gift I give myself. Even in the darkest of times, it is waiting there for me to open it and explore what’s right in front of me so that I can appreciate life’s beauty.

By Jenny L on July 29, 2022

Being Okay with Not Being Okay

Selfcare & Personal Growth

I am not always okay and that is hard to say out loud. For years, I disassociated from my life due to trauma. This came in many forms and at often inconvenient times. I didn’t even know how to be present when my life was going well. I found a way to numb my feelings, any feelings, by not seeing it or acknowledging it.

By Casie Fariello on July 15, 2022

After about a year of battling depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, substance abuse, cutting, and suicidal ideation my 15-year-old daughter started telling me that I had changed. She said I wasn’t the same mother I used to be.

By Heather Ross on June 15, 2022

Manipulation

Parenting

When our kids struggle with mental health, they can behave in some appalling and unattractive ways. One of those ways is being manipulative. It’s infuriating when someone we love more than life itself deliberately betrays us to get what they want.

By Allison Garner on May 31, 2022

Peer support has a long history, both formally and informally. As applied to mental health support, “peer support” generally refers to the process by which individuals with lived experience of […]

By Casie Fariello on May 18, 2022

My Very First Blog

Parent Stories

When I first discovered my son Jon’s substance usage, it was as if the earth below me had fallen away. I was weak on my feet, blurred in my mind and hurting in my heart.

By Michael Fariello on April 29, 2022

My lifeline comes from support groups. Grappling with these issues in a welcoming peer environment has catapulted my growth.

By Jenny L on April 15, 2022

Rules are easy to make. Some are impossible to enforce.

By Allison Garner on March 30, 2022

I am calm

Parenting

Read our Peer Parent York’s story about his journey with his son and family.

By York Ast on March 15, 2022

A few important things to remember while you create a process for you and your family to build self-awareness and explore personal growth and healing.

By OPLM on February 21, 2022

Meditation is an alternative form of healing that can be particularly beneficial for parents of children suffering from mental health issues or substance use.

By Michael Irvine on February 14, 2022

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