Parallel Recovery
A Guide for Those Who Love Someone with Substance Use Disorder
Buy the Book:Amazon
Published by: Page & Podium Press
Release Date: September 9, 2025
Pages: 218
ISBN13: 979-8989940431
OVERVIEW
Lisa Katona Smith is redefining what family recovery can, and should, look like.
As the creator of Parallel Recovery™, she brings a bold, evidence-informed approach to family healing that moves beyond outdated models of detachment and passive support. Her work empowers families to reclaim influence, engage in meaningful change, and build the kind of connection that supports long-term recovery—not just for their loved one, but for themselves.
A seasoned educator, systems consultant, and author of the forthcoming book Parallel Recovery, Lisa partners with families, treatment teams, and organizations to deliver comprehensive, sustainable care. Her work spans private consulting, high-acuity case oversight, curriculum development, and professional training.
Lisa is also a TEDx speaker known for her ability to deliver real, emotionally resonant insights with clarity and conviction. She speaks on the future of family recovery, connection-based care, and the lived experience of navigating addiction with strength and compassion.
This site is a platform for her evolving body of work: a home for collaboration, a hub for resources, and a catalyst for conversation across the fields of substance use, mental health, and family systems.
PRAISE
"Parallel Recovery is an accessible, easy to follow introduction to healthy communication. It should be used by everyone that is interested in understanding their own communication style and modifying it to a healthier, neutral style while learning how to set strong boundaries.Lisa Katona Smith has given us a blueprint for better interactions with both family and non-family alike.
I highly recommend Parallel Recovery!"
—Jane Davis LCSW
"Lisa Smith brings a deeply nuanced understanding of human connection and the unintended consequences that can arise when a family’s most loving intentions meet the complexities of substance use disorder. In this powerful book, she weaves together psychology, research, and personal experience to offer family members both permission and practical guidance to begin their own healing journey—even if their loved one remains stuck in the cycle of addiction.
-Smith introduces the concept of “parallel recovery,” showing how shifts in thought and behavior are essential—not only for personal wellbeing, but for becoming role models and safe landing spaces for those still struggling. Both deeply personal and universal, this is one of those rare books you occasionally put down—not because you want to stop reading, but because you need a moment to let its truths settle before you return for more.
I will recommend Smith’s book not only to families affected by substance use, but to anyone seeking to deepen their relationship with themselves and the people they love."
—Dr Debby Patz PsyD, LAC
"Having worked with Lisa Smith personally, I find her book Parallel Recovery: A Guide for Those Who Love Someone with Substance Use Disorder to be a deeply insightful and essential guide for families navigating the difficult journey of loving someone with a substance use disorder. The book introduces Parallel Recovery as a truly transformative approach, emphasizing that addiction is a family disease, and therefore, recovery is for the entire family unit. It moves beyond traditional models that focus solely on "fixing" the individual with the disorder, instead inviting families to embark on their own active work and healing journey in parallel with their loved one. I particularly appreciate the emphasis on connection as the foundation for influence and mutual recovery, teaching families how to 'love better' by stepping into the relationship, working on themselves, and nurturing resilient connections without enabling harmful patterns or sacrificing their own well-being.
One of the most powerful concepts in the book is the idea of 'sharing the burden of change.' It challenges the notion that the person with substance use disorder is solely responsible for the problem and the solution. The book highlights that families are part of the situation and must share this burden by looking inward, honestly examining their own reactions and behaviors, and identifying the changes they need to make for their own health and strength. It provides practical guidance on how to move from ineffective attempts at control to empowerment rooted in love, modeling growth and accountability. This perspective is empowering because it shifts the focus to what families can control—their own recovery journey—which in turn offers the best possible chance for their loved one's recovery.
This is a must read FIRST for families facing the very real challenges of a loved one struggling with substance use disorder.
—Jason S. Friesema LPC, LAC
EXCERPT
“Parallel Recovery™ is not about getting them better. It’s about creating the relationship that they want to get better for.”
This work is hard. But it’s doable. And it’s worth it. Families have power—not to fix, but to model, to lead, and to love more effectively. You can’t heal someone else’s addiction. But you can change the system it lives in. And in doing so, you can become a catalyst for sustainable recovery—yours and theirs.
“You can’t always predict or be prepared for what’s coming down the line that will completely throw your life in a new direction… There is no easy-easy. But when you learn to lean into the hard, you find clarity. You find your breath again. You begin to rebuild.”
“Addiction doesn’t strike individuals—it affects entire systems. Families often wait for the person to ‘get better’ before they begin their own healing. But real change happens when the family stops standing on the sidelines and steps into the process - alongside their loved one, not behind them.”