Finding Hope: A Plan for Loved Ones of AddictsSample

Have you ever watched the television show Scandal?

I’ll be honest, I love that show. I know it’s not for everybody, but when I found out about it, I couldn’t help but love it. It's about a dynamic woman named Olivia Pope, who works as a crisis manager specializing in political situations, making her a perfect fit for the show’s Washington, DC setting.

But on the show, no one calls her a crisis manager; Olivia is really known as a fixer. When major political or legal crises happen, Olivia gets called in to fix the situation. And let me tell you—she’s good at it.

When Olivia Pope sees a problem, her first instinct is to fix it.

Many parents, spouses, and family members of addicts think exactly the same way.

They truly believe that if the person they love has a problem, then they’ve got the solution.

So that’s the bad news: you’re not Olivia Pope.

But let me tell you some good news: you are naturally programmed to think of yourself as Olivia Pope. For you moms and dads out there, you’ve been playing the fixer role since your little one was born. If there was a diaper blowout, you fixed it. If there was a problem at school, you fixed it. When dinner needed to be made, you fixed it. For your child’s entire existence, you’ve probably been there to fix them.

Let me be clear from the get-go. This reading plan will not outline ten steps to get your kid to stop smoking meth or seven ways to make your husband to drink less and be nicer.

I wish it was. I wish I could give you a step-by-step guide, but I can’t. No such thing exists, because everyone’s process out of addiction is different.

Ultimately, I want this reading plan to be something that helps you navigate the map of your family’s situation.

No family is the same, nor is their plight. But we have found that inside each story of addiction, pain, or life-altering situation, similar solutions can help people find hope. There are programs, communities, common practices, and, most importantly, other people who have walked down the very same road you’re on.

Our goal is to pass along the Hope we have found, so that you too might come to experience the great joy and freedom that comes when you find what you’ve been looking for.

We pray this plan shows you that recovery for the addict and the family is possible.

We pray it reminds you that you are not alone.

We pray it helps you step out from under the shame.

We pray it speaks to you in your specific situation.

We pray it gives you much-needed clarity.

We pray it helps you find hope.