Posts by Lisa Katona Smith
Living Forward Means Coming Back to Yourself
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 just got into treatment. If he just stuck with it. spent years waiting, watching, holding my breath and believing that my peace, my stability, even my worth as…
Read MoreAddiction Is a Family Disease – So Recovery Must Be Too
Every September, the nation recognizes National Recovery Month. This year’s theme – Home, Health, Community, and Purpose – couldn’t be closer to the heart of what I’ve learned in my own journey. Because if there’s one truth I know, it’s this: addiction never affects just one person. It weaves its way into every relationship, every…
Read MoreWriting It Down Was the Hardest Part
Writing It Down Was the Hardest Part I have a book coming out on September 9th. Even just writing that sentence brings up a wave of emotion. Because the truth is, putting this book into the world is the most public, most vulnerable thing I have ever done. It’s not a memoir, though my personal…
Read MoreWho I Am When I’m Not OK
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 I am not OK?” That question doesn’t just live in the intellectual space for me; it lives in my bones. It’s a question I’ve wrestled…
Read MoreLessons from the Sky: What the Big Bear Eagles Taught Me About Parenting, Growth, and Letting Go
For the past three years, I’ve been quietly, and sometimes obsessively, watching the Big Bear eagle family, Jackie and Shadow, from afar. Their nest, perched high above Big Bear Lake, has become one of my favorite places to visit, even if only virtually. This year, their eaglets Sunny and Gizmo pulled me in like never…
Read MoreBuilding Your Personal Recovery Pod: Why You Can’t Heal Alone
When someone you love is struggling with substance use or mental health challenges, life can start to feel painfully small. Relationships drift. Hobbies gather dust. The things that used to fill you up fall away, one by one, until all that’s left is a relentless focus on fixing someone else’s pain. For a long time,…
Read More100 MPH to Full Stop
For so long, your life has been moving at full speed. Every day felt like an emergency, every phone call a potential crisis. Your thoughts were consumed by one goal: getting them into treatment. And then, it happened. They said yes. They walked through the doors. You exhaled, maybe for the first time in years.…
Read MoreWhen Love Feels Heavy
If you love someone struggling with substance use disorder (SUD), life can feel like a constant storm. The worry, the fear, the sleepless nights—it’s exhausting. Some days, it feels like you’re barely holding on. And in the middle of all that, someone might suggest, “Try practicing gratitude.” (eye roll) It might seem impossible. Gratitude? For…
Read MoreWhy Progress Isn’t Always Loud (And That’s Okay)
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 like a failure. I’ve been there myself, many times. The promises I made to take charge, to fix things, or to help my son through his recovery often felt like…
Read MoreStarting Fresh in 2025: Small Steps for Big Change
If you’re here, it’s likely because someone you love is struggling with mental health or substance use disorder. That journey is overwhelming, exhausting, and full of questions you never imagined you’d have to ask. The start of a new year can feel like a cruel joke—another reminder that time is passing, yet nothing seems to…
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