Burgers with a side order of Hope!
Most of the posts at The Addiction Journal are targeted at parents that are new to the world of addiction and recovery.
Today I figured I would give an update on my son who had relapsed about a half year back.
On Saturday eve my son had a cookout with friends/ network from his 12 step group . The “invasion” occurred after their Sat evening AA meeting.
A cookout in 2005 would have ended with 4 barrels of empty beer cans, 4 police cruisers and an invitation to attend our local court system on the following Monday.
Not so in 2012. Today is a good day.
I retired to the bedroom and gave them their space on Saturday evening.
Guess what ..nothing went missing, They brought all their own food. They cleaned up ( except for the grill ha ha … this is progress not perfection) I was given a gift Sat night to hear 10 or so 20 somethings laughing and enjoying sobriety on our back deck. Every person a the impromptu cookout was in recovery. Water, fancy sneakers, and goofy baseball caps were the order of the night.
They left our home promptly at midnight without any urging by the old guy who was watching “FULL METAL JACKET” in the bedroom. What a difference recovery provides!! [The FULL METAL JACKET reference only included here to prove I am not a MOM! 
]
I remembered the words spoken by my son last winter. Immediately after his December 2011 relapse he recalled the previous summer and said “I can’t believe how fast my life went to shit. I was having a great time with my friends in the backyard cooking out and the next minute I was fucked up again”
He seems to have learned a lesson. This was not a lesson I could ever teach him. This was a lesson taught by life.
The smoke from his crash has cleared, replaced by the smoke of burgers on the grill laced with laughs from the “DUDES” in his network.
As this smoke and and laughter permeated the New England summer evening this past Saturday I smiled and remembered
There is always hope! Then..I thanked my Higher Power for the gift!
peace and strength
** if you feel this post will help another family please feel free to share or link
Categorised as: Coping Skills
Only a parent who has been through the torment of an addicted child can truly appreciate the beauty of this cookout. It makes my heart smile to see people in recovery learning that they can have fun without mind altering substances. Thanks for sharing. Your post gives me hope for my own son’s future.
Well, first I would like to say I enjoy “Full Metal Jacket” myself and second I would like to say I can appreciate a good ole fashoined cook-out with sobriety permeating in the air as well….Hearing the sounds of water bottle caps twisting off instead of the soiunds of sirens must be a gloious sound…glad you had an enjoyable experience….praying it continues to give you peace in your heart;)
I love reading your blogs. It gives me hope when I feel there isn't. Thank you