Everything Changes ─ Help for Families of Newly Recovering Addicts

Like the people who care about them, addicted individuals in early recovery are filled with hopes and fears. They want to be free of the pain and chaos their addictions have brought them. They hope to build a productive life. But they also fear that they may not be able to live without their drug of choice.

During uncertain times of early recovery, families face new and difficult challenges in their relationship with their loved one: How involved should we be? How can we be supportive without setting ourselves up for disappointment? How can we help without enabling? What kinds of boundaries should we maintain? And what kind of relationship will we ultimately have?

Everything Changes is a guide to help families navigate the first year of recovery. It explores the addicted individual's many challenges, examines ways that families can be supportive without sacrificing their own peace of mind, and suggests ways to build a new, more rewarding relationship with their recovering loved one.

Beverly Conyers, MA, is an editor and freelance writer who lives in New England. She is also the author of Addict in the Family: Stories of Loss, Hope, and Recovery.