Addiction is truly a family disease. We had 2 children and both of them have had issues with addiction. One of my children has struggled for over 20 years with this disease. I struggle with codependency and it is very difficult for me to separate “helping” versus “enabling.“ In the earliest years I supported my children with financial help and attending all family sessions at the rehab facilities. I learned that we are dealing with a disease that must be managed and it is a lifetime illness. I had to learn that as parents, we can be sick too.
Codependency is real and it affects your marriage, your business and all other siblings. I learned from other affected families, law enforcement and the many counselors attending to our family. I was fortunate to have the financial resources to provide help for my children. So many of the people we met had lost everything in trying to help find the cure.
The most important thing I learned is there are many ways into addiction, but the only way out is a spiritual journey. The big book and the 12 step program helped my children return to sober living. Attending meetings and sponsors are as necessary as the air we all breathe. There are many detours along the way, but God is always there to pick you up! I pray each family can find peace in the midst of these terrible storms!
