- What can I do to give something back to my
community?"
- "How can I make a difference in the lives of
the millions of Americans still suffering from addiction?"
- What can I do to help change the stigma and
shame around alcohol and other drug dependencies?"
As a woman living in recovery, and having young children, I
became very aware of the risks my own kids were facing, thru no
fault of their own. Their genetics are surely not in my
control! Today there is no magic pill for alcoholism/alcohol
addiction, not that there won't be one in the years to come.
This brain disease does massive damage to many families because it
cycles in generation after generation. So as a mother, living
recovery, working with thousands of alcoholics in my "day job" I
knew what my kids were facing. Raising kids in a sober home, is
great! There is spiritual, physical and emotional support.
I can't however change the "Bud" ads on every corner, in every
grocery store, on billboards across our state. Not with out making
phone calls, talking to others working on these issues, writing
letters to identify problems and ask for actions to reduce the
impact these environmental factors have on my "high risk" children.
The other problem is the lack of help and hope countless people.
No available treatment, getting fired for going to treatment,
loosing a promotion because a person went to treatment, loosing
children to state custody while needing treatment when none is
available, on and on. These are real issues alone their is
little hope for us to change. Together, we can make progress.
Unity is key to change. |
