50 Things That Helped This Mother Recover
Recovery is wholly personal and also universal in nature. Addiction in the ecosystem impacts everyone. When asked what we did in our family to help my son begin treatment and recovery my answer is, “I went first.” I got an education about addiction and recovery and devoted myself to treatment and recovery from the trauma of addiction. My personal work impacted the entire ecosystem. I didn’t change my loved ones, I changed me. Because of that I was able to stay in my values as a mother and keep our relationship intact which was the most important thing to me.
This is my personal list of what helped this mother recover.
Education
Guidance
Stories
Our family genogram
Facing the truth of our family addiction story
Speaking the truth
Asking for help
Letting someone help
Science
Intuition
Instincts
Trust
Discernment
Sticky notes
Feeling my feelings
Therapy
Addressing & Healing Trauma
Expression
Connection
Unhooking & Unlearning Patterns of harm
Identifying my needs
Practicing Harm Reduction
Abstinence
Emotional Regulation
Boundaries
Courage
Patience
Curiosity
Journaling
Yoga
Dance
Music
Rest
Nature
Breathwork
Retreats
Books
Good Food
Water
Warmth
Compassion
Kindness
Doing nothing
Solitude
The Anatomy of Transformation (The work of Jen Lemen)
The Path of Devotion (The work of Jen Lemen)
The 3R's. Rituals, Rhythms & Routines (The work of Jen Lemen)
Courage
Love
Unconditional Positive Regard
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