What Causes Addiction? Can you Stop it?

Hi All,

I hope you're well! I hope that your child's addiction isn't getting the best of you and your life, but if it is, it's understandable. I know that I sometimes have downer days. Sometimes, I have really tough weeks. Those suck because it's like nothing at all could make me happy except being able to turn back the clock and figure out how to stop it before it started.

Not so long ago, I wrote about how my daughter's addiction isn't about me. I still wonder, though, if it's not about me, why am I so profoundly affected by this whole experience? Why is it changing the very essence of who I am? How is it that one little person who I gave life to could be so powerful to devastate me with some simple actions against herself?

Another pretty picture of the Gulf... Can you tell I love it?

More to the point, why didn't I see my daughter's addiction coming and why didn't I stop it? Could I have stopped it?

The truth is, I really don't know, but in my work, and my research, I have learned a little about what causes addiction. I have also learned a little about what can boost your chances of intercepting it before it becomes a significant issue. In my case, it's a little too late, I think, but I know there are a lot of people out there who are just now confronting the reality that their teen or young adult child is abusing substances or alcohol.

10 Things to do Today When Coping with an Adult Child's Addiction

Hi All!

Lots of stuff going on here lately. Not all bad - in fact - some pretty good, but some other things, eh, kind of so-so. Last post, I talked about what would happen if my addicted daughter would die tomorrow. It was depressing, I know. I actually cried while I wrote it. And then, surprisingly, I felt somehow cleansed for a while.

So, I started thinking, like writing this blog is helping me. It's giving me the power to see that there is so much more to my life than my daughter's addiction. Yes, my daughter's heroin addiction is a huge part of my life. It makes me ache deep in my heart. Mama's and daddy's, I know you know what I'm talking about.

Just a lovely picture of a sunset
enjoyed on vacation. I'm going to
start including images :) I'm not a good
photographer, but I'm going to share
the ones I come across.

But, there's more to the world than this. I mean, the truth is, when our kids leave the nest, we aren't supposed to be so involved in their lives that we stop ours. They are supposed to be people that we enjoy, we love, and spend our most precious moments with. So, here's the thing: I do this. All of it.

Anyway, so I started thinking - knowing that I have just a few people walking this road with me helps me so, so much. But, what am I doing for you? You keep coming back hoping for a cure, I know. I can't offer that, but I can provide you with some tips.

I can tell you the top 10 things I do when I'm really struggling to cope with my daughter's addiction, and maybe, they can help you, too. So, are you ready? Here goes: