Parenting a Child with Addiction Where Love and Addiction Meet Sandy Swenson From One Mother to Another (excerpt from TENDING DANDELIONS): We may often feel fragile, but we are strong. And we are many. As mothers of children suffering with addiction, we do battle with a disease that oozes misunderstanding and shame. Alone and afraid, we try to do the right thing—even when we're not sure what that right thing is. We try to hold our families and ourselves together, even when it feels like we're falling apart. We feel every pain our child feels, no matter the distance (in miles or years). We try to carry on, even when our heart is breaking in two. But, as tired and tattered as we may be, like the deceptively delicate dandelion, we moms are made to persevere. Together, we're traveling a most unwanted, unanticipated, and unclear journey—for a lifetime. Whatever happens next may or may not follow a neat or hopeful path. So, we all need to find our own inner-dandelion; we all need to take a close look at the things we don't want to look at—the things lurking around in this place where love and addiction meet—so we're as strong as we can be. My wish is that the "ponderments" contained within my book, Tending Dandelions—the thoughts laid bare for you to think about—will help you achieve that. Whenever I sit down to write, I write as a mom, as the mom of an addict, and, specifically, as the mom of a son—a son who has not yet found his own recovery. I write as a mom who has begun her own recovery, though her son has not. My writing comes from deep within this particular mix. However, while the voice burbling up comes from the well of my own experience, it is intended to be a reflection of the heart and soul of every mother of an addict. It is intended to help put words to your own thoughts and feelings. To help you heal. www.hazeldenbettyford.org

Visit The Addict's Mom at: http://addictsmom.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network