Resources for parents of alcoholics
August 1, 2021 7:11 PM Subscribe
I went to my first and second Al-Anon meetings today. Can you help me find more resources for parents of alcoholics/addicts: personal stories, advice, etc.? Most of what I'm finding (apart from Al-Anon) seems to be SEO for residential rehabs, or geared towards adult children of alcoholics. It's specifically the experience of being a parent of an alcoholic or addict that I would like to read about. Thanks for any suggestions!
You also might search out a different Al-Anon meeting. Like AA, Al-Anon is not designed, managed by a central source. Each group is made up of individuals and has it's own style, temperament, etc. Another group might fit you better. But as there is no standard for Al-Anon, finding help there can be hard.
Al-Anon is not the only source of help. I'd strongly suggest that if you have the wherewithal to find a good therapist.
posted by tmdonahue at 6:08 AM on August 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
Al-Anon is not the only source of help. I'd strongly suggest that if you have the wherewithal to find a good therapist.
posted by tmdonahue at 6:08 AM on August 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
Four Good Days is a 2020 American drama film, directed and produced by Rodrigo García, from a screenplay by García and Eli Saslow, based upon Saslow's harrowing 2016 Washington Post article, "How's Amanda? A Story of Truth, Lies and an American Addiction (link to archived version). Film trailer.
Parent's POV, with a strong caveat: In 1997, former senator George McGovern wrote a beautiful, moving book about his late daughter, who struggled with alcoholism and clinical depression for 25 years. Article, book.
Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story by Carol Burnett: After overcoming her painful and public teenage struggle with drug addiction in a time when personal troubles were kept private, Carrie lived her adult life of sobriety to the fullest, achieving happiness and success as an actress, writer, musician, and director before losing a hard-fought battle with cancer at age thirty-eight. Now Carol Burnett shares her personal diary entries, photographs, and correspondence as she traces the journey she and Carrie took through some of life’s toughest challenges and sweetest miracles.
David Sheff's memoir, Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction, and his son Nic's memoir Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, combine in a 2018 film. Trailer 1, 2. Father And Son Behind 'Beautiful Boy' Share Their Story Of Addiction And Recovery (NPR, October 2018).
Book blurb: “When my eldest son became addicted to crystal meth and heroin, I could barely function. I would not have survived without Beverly Conyers’s Addict in the Family, which provided guidance and hope. I realized I wasn’t alone on my hellish journey. The book helped me get through interminable nights when I was terrified that his addiction would take his life. It offered a path to healing.” – David Sheff
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:01 PM on August 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
Parent's POV, with a strong caveat: In 1997, former senator George McGovern wrote a beautiful, moving book about his late daughter, who struggled with alcoholism and clinical depression for 25 years. Article, book.
Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story by Carol Burnett: After overcoming her painful and public teenage struggle with drug addiction in a time when personal troubles were kept private, Carrie lived her adult life of sobriety to the fullest, achieving happiness and success as an actress, writer, musician, and director before losing a hard-fought battle with cancer at age thirty-eight. Now Carol Burnett shares her personal diary entries, photographs, and correspondence as she traces the journey she and Carrie took through some of life’s toughest challenges and sweetest miracles.
David Sheff's memoir, Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction, and his son Nic's memoir Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, combine in a 2018 film. Trailer 1, 2. Father And Son Behind 'Beautiful Boy' Share Their Story Of Addiction And Recovery (NPR, October 2018).
Book blurb: “When my eldest son became addicted to crystal meth and heroin, I could barely function. I would not have survived without Beverly Conyers’s Addict in the Family, which provided guidance and hope. I realized I wasn’t alone on my hellish journey. The book helped me get through interminable nights when I was terrified that his addiction would take his life. It offered a path to healing.” – David Sheff
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:01 PM on August 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by rip at 7:35 PM on August 1, 2021 [1 favorite]