Last Christmas Day my youngest son, addicted-to many substances and alcohol, and broken, when his wife left him for another man, came to us for help. We passed that night on suicide watch...again. For 8 years he has been a mess...and two days later suddenly my entire addiction/compulsion came sharply into focus when we were at the Dr office.As part of the conversation I told my son he would always be an addict, but that he could be a clean addict, a recovering addict, and a happy addict. He turned to me and with tears streaming down his face he said "Mom I have been trying for 8 years to STOP BEING AN ADDICT!"
In that moment I remember thinking how grateful I was for this knowledge CEA-HOW had given me. And everything I had suffered and learned about my food addiction suddenly was worth every ounce of pain- because I could help my son understand his addiction.
Later after we left he turned to me and asked us to help him get into a faith-based rehab program. Now after a successful rehab, a couple of slips, he celebrated six months of sobriety on Thanksgiving Day!
The day before Thanksgiving he asked me to teach him how to make our family rolls. Which I happily did as both my shoulders were complaining after only one batch. After he'd made the next batch he stepped outside to smoke and returned with tears streaming down his face...he wrapped me in a huge hug and said "Mom I am so glad I am alive today...so you can teach me how to make rolls. Thank you for all you have done for me this year, you are amazing!" Wow wasn't expecting that.
The following day when our whole family had gathered, food served, and as pre-arranged.. my son publicly thanked each of his siblings and parents for our support. We offered a non-alcoholic toast and the meal went on. Later I found out my son-in-law had also done that day sober as he didn't think it was right for him to drink when Bryce was celebrating his recovery! I was so grateful and surprised. WOW! The blessings of honesty, recovery, and strength in God! Heavenly Father made it all possible and I am so grateful to Him! We never know the path of blessings that opens up to us and loved ones when we give our pain to God and embrace sobriety in any form.
