Family Support Newsletter

You are Not Alone Past Articles

Boundaries Part 2 Last month’s newsletter introduced the topic of boundaries. We learned that we all need boundaries to help us discern what is our responsibility and what is not, to help us live our lives the way we want to, and to identify what we will and will not accept in our lives and

Boundaries Part 1 Over this past year, our newsletters have focused on the family disease of addiction and explored topics such as the ways we are affected by the disease, how we can take care of ourselves, what supporting rather than enabling our loved one looks like, and the difference between caregiving and caretaking. The

Keep Coming Back Each month of this past year we have focused on a recovery slogan. The slogans help to remind us of what’s really important, to stay in today, and can clarify our thinking. Our final slogan for this year is: “Keep Coming Back.” You will hear this slogan at nearly every recovery meeting

Think! As we come near to the end of our year of slogans, we come to an interesting slogan: “Think.” I used to wonder why “Think” is a slogan since it seems that all I do is “think” – think about my loved one and their problems, think about how they could solve their struggles,

Live and Let Live As we’ve been learning about the slogans used in 12 Step recovery programs this year, I’ve been continually reminded that a few simple words can transform my thinking. “Live and Let Live” is one of those simple yet powerful slogans.  In talking about this slogan, we tend to focus on the

Keep and Open Mind The slogan for this month is “Keep an Open Mind.”  This saying reminds me that although I may not always know the answer to a problem or be able to see a solution, by keeping an open mind I make myself available to other possibilities – even ones I may never

One Day at a Time This year our Family Support newsletters will focus on the various slogans we use in 12 Step recovery. “When confronted with a confusing or upsetting situation, a slogan can be a lifesaver. If we are at a loss for what to do, these simple yet profound sayings can clarify our

Tips for Facing the Holidays The holiday season is often portrayed in the media as a happy, joyous, and peaceful time of year. However, when addiction has affected our families, it’s more likely to be a stressful, anxious, chaotic time of year. Disappointment from broken promises, fears of “what if…”, and longing for “the good

Growing through Acceptance One of the first concepts I heard about in Al-Anon meetings was “acceptance.” At first I thought that to accept something meant I had to agree with it, condone it, like it, or even just be ok with it. But that’s not what acceptance means. In one of the Al-Anon daily readers