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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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.…
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…
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…
I was taught to start strong. This year, I’m choosing soft instead. I am terrible with directions. Truly terrible. My husband likes to joke that if I’m ever lost, I should pick a direction and then immediately turn around — because I’m almost always headed the wrong way. It’s funny because it’s true. And also…
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…