Coming Up for Air — A Toolkit to Help with Your Loved One's Recovery from Addiction & Mental Illness

(34min) CRAFT puts the family in the role of informed shepherd for their Loved One (LO) with Substance Use, and the method was designed for families who have day-to-day interactions with the LO and can use their influence in that framework.

But how do you continue the conversation and work the magic of CRAFT if your Loved One is far away, or if you have very minimal contact?

Can you rekindle communication, can you get to a softer, more trusting relationship, and can you shine the light on treatment for your Loved One. . . all the while being far away or having minimal interactions? We believe that yes, you absolutely can!

Learn to coax the scared, wounded animal back out of the woods and back into a relationship with you. Learn to communicate without the anxiety and panic that are often part of the family member's experience, by putting yourself in a "connecting position" vs. a "threatening position." Learn how to change the dynamic of "the pursuer and the avoider" with your communications. Kayla's example is: "Send cat photos . . . and use emojis!"

Join our Member Site today to take full advantage of Allies in Recovery’s program, including 8 video modules, three blogs, and dialogue with experts in the fields of treatment and recovery.

Learn more @ alliesinrecovery.net   Membership is FREE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(39 min)   Following their discussion on Episode #72, Laurie, Kayla and Dominique look at the "First thought, Second Thought" phenomenon, a key topic in Cognitive Behavior Therapy.

It's an important one for anyone, but especially for families addressing the needs of a Loved One with addiction and/or trauma.

Kayla reminds us that "You are not the center of their universe, even if they love you," and emphasizes the importance of getting space inside our own heads. Thoughts happen, and we can actually learn to react and respond to them differently.

How do you get space? This is about getting mental space. Literally, you're taking a pause. You're looking at that first thought, saying "that's interesting," and putting some space before you allow the second thought in.

"When we look at our Loved Ones as the "Identified Problem," that's a trap that they can never get out of," says Kayla. "So, the more we look at ourselves  . . . the more we release them to just focus on themselves and their own issues. . . . What's my part of the problem so that I can do my part of the solution?"

Kayla and Laurie also look at the subtle beliefs behind the idea of "listening to your gut" — what should we actually do with our gut's messages? Listen? Follow?

You won't want to miss this!

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(33 min 45 sec) "How do I calm my system down enough so that I'm not eating and drinking battery acid every day?" or in other words, "How can I go from a reflexive, automatic, unconscious reaction to actually being able to have choice over my reactions?"

Join our Member Site today to take full advantage of Allies in Recovery’s program, including 8 video modules, three blogs, and dialogue with experts in the fields of treatment and recovery.

Learn more @ alliesinrecovery.net   Membership is FREE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(20 min 5 sec) Dominique interviews Annie Highwater on her journey to her current vocation

Annie speaks of the feelings of craziness and chaos she grew up in: "When life feels hopeless and you feel like everyone around you is losing their mind... I was so surrounded by it, I never saw a way out!"

She speaks of the peer support work she does now, and shares a message of hope that comes from her own lived experience: "Recovery is a beautiful thing, and it's possible for any family."

She talks about her own journey to healing: "I started noticing that the more peaceful I was, the calmer the situation would be."

Annie's enthusiasm is catching, and her journey is inspiring. Tune in!

Join our Member Site today to take full advantage of Allies in Recovery’s program, including 8 video modules, three blogs, and dialogue with experts in the fields of treatment and recovery.

Learn more @ alliesinrecovery.net   Membership is FREE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(24 min 39 sec) Allies Founder & Director, Dominique Simon-Levine, interviews Laurie MacDougall, Allies collaborator and creator of REST educational groups. Dominique was especially interested in what pushed Laurie to leave her former occupation and begin focusing on the work she does today: educating, advocating for, and supporting families affected by Substance Use Disorder.  Laurie describes various life circumstances that came together and sparked change, including her discovery of the Allies in Recovery website. She talks about what was in her head when she created REST and how the momentum brought her to where she is today.

Join our Member Site today to take full advantage of Allies in Recovery’s program, including 8 video modules, three blogs, and dialogue with experts in the fields of treatment and recovery. Learn more @ alliesinrecovery.net   Membership is FREE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn a magical practice to vastly improve communications with your Loved One with SUD. It's not "talking to" and it's not "just listening" ... but an alchemical mix of the two.

If you've ever felt baffled or enraged by communicating with a loved one, you're sure to appreciate this episode.

Peer Recovery specialist Laurie MacDougall is joined by Imago Relationship therapist Kayla Solomon and Allies in Recovery's Isabel Cooney, for an eye-opening dive into Reflective Listening. What is it? How does it work? What are the benefits for you, and the person you're reflectively listening to? And why does Kayla believe in it so much that she says she'd use it if someone were pointing a gun at her?

Join our Member Site today to take full advantage of Allies in Recovery’s program, including 8 video modules, three blogs, and dialogue with experts in the fields of treatment and recovery. Learn more at alliesinrecovery.net   

(45:56)  In this episode Cheryl Juaire joins Laurie to share her personal journey through heartache and grief after losing her son to SUD. She details the steps in her grief and how community helped her get a new perspective on life with grief. Inspired by her participation in a group for mothers who've lost children to SUD, she created a sharing platform called TEAM SHARING. Through social networking, community activism, grief services and advocacy, TEAM SHARING provides support and friendship to grieving families while working to raise awareness of SUD and its impact on our communities. 

Join our Member Site today to take full advantage of Allies in Recovery’s program, including 8 video modules, three blogs, and dialogue with experts in the fields of treatment and recovery. Learn more @ alliesinrecovery.net Membership is FREE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(1 hour 1 min) Kayla Solomon joins Laurie MacDougall to address the question, “How do Alanon / Naranon differ from CRAFT?” 

Join our Member Site today to take full advantage of Allies in Recovery’s program, including 8 video modules, three blogs, and dialogue with experts in the fields of treatment and recovery. Learn more @ alliesinrecovery.net   Membership is FREE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Topics in this post: Al-Anon, CRAFT 101, Self-help groups

Kayla Solomon joins Laurie MacDougall to address the question, “How do Alanon / Naranon differ from CRAFT?”

Join our Member Site today to take full advantage of Allies in Recovery’s program, including 8 video modules, three blogs, and dialogue with experts in the fields of treatment and recovery. Learn more @ alliesinrecovery.net   Membership is FREE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode, Tommy Joyce, Director of Recovery Support Services at the East Bay Recovery Center, comes on the show to share his recovery journey and how he came to be an ally to people with SUD. He responds to the question: “What are Recovery Communities and Certified Peer Recovery Specialists?”  We also get insight into his work, and his perspective on the current drug-use crisis.

Join our Member Site today to take full advantage of Allies in Recovery’s program, including 8 video modules, three blogs, and dialogue with experts in the fields of treatment and recovery. Learn more @ alliesinrecovery.net   Membership is FREE during the COVID-19 pandemic.