LifeJackets takes you through one mother’s journey learning to accept and live with her child’s addiction. The book reflects on lived experiences and the different challenges each phase of addiction brings. Loving someone and trying to help them through active addiction is one of the greatest challenges some people will face in this life. In this book, Melanie dives headfirst into the many aspects of loving an addict. She will take you through her journey with her daughter and identify the different phases of addiction; subjects like denial, suicide, enabling, tough love, and relapse. Melanie also talks about the joy of recovery and learning to appreciate every moment of sobriety. The stories are raw and emotional but always lend themselves to a message of hope and recovery. The title, LifeJackets, is a true representation of one mother trying to save her child from addiction; and realizing the person that truly needs saving is herself. This book speaks about accepting and supporting those with addiction and realizing saving someone else from addiction is a futile effort because they must learn how to save themselves. LifeJackets: A Mother’s Journey through her Child’s Addiction $20.00 includes free shipping or free local delivery in Billings, Montana You want to jump in and rescue, fix or save them. Eventually, you understand you can’t, and the best choice is to step aside and let the natural consequences of their addiction overcome them in the hope that they will help themselves. You cannot save them. I knew our family was not unique in the journey of loving an addict. I am hopeful that sharing my story lifts the cloak of shame and stigma that addiction still carries. I pray that those who read this will know they are not alone. There are many people seeking to share and support one another as we navigate the unknown waters of loving and caring about someone experiencing addiction. I want to step up boldly and say I am here to listen and offer any support you might need. I know you are in pain having to decide every day whether or not to help, feeling drained with the back and forth dilemma of enabling vs. saving vs. tough love and contemplating constantly if you are doing the right thing. Let me say emphatically, you are doing the right thing, because you care and you are trying. “Addiction is not a parenting error” Melanie Schwarz is an advocate for families in the midst of their loved one’s addiction. Having lived this herself, Melanie is very familiar with the journey people are on and the need to try and “save” them. Melanie is the current Chief Growth and Innovation Officer at a regional substance use and mental health treatment center in Montana. She spends her time strategizing and finding new and innovative ways to assist people seeking treatment. She is actively involved in building a new “family care” program; that will help families learn how to best support someone they love who has an addiction. Melanie lives in beautiful Billings, Montana. She has had a 25+ year career in marketing, public relations and development; and is a graduate of Montana State University with a degree in Business Marketing and Management. She is married to Brynn and has three amazing children Scott, Morgan and Jenna. LifeJackets will launch Melanie’s dream of traveling the country and talking to other families experiencing addiction. A Mother’s Journey through her Child’s Addiction
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Some Excerpts from the Book
Addiction is a chronic disease that cannot be cured but can be managed. Managed just like other chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, arthritis, and the list goes on. Yet how many lists of chronic diseases have addiction on them and how many other chronic diseases share the stigma of addiction and to go one step further what other chronic disease is often linked to criminal activity. Only addiction.
Author Bio
