Road Map for Life Seminars:

UNDERSTANDING THE ADDICT IN YOUR LIFE: AWAKENING TO RECOVERY (PART 2)

"He that conceals his grief, finds no remedy for it."
   ~ Turkish proverb

For addicts and their families, grief is so much a way of life that it goes unnoticed, an invisible aching that leaves them numb and unable to explore the roots of their grief. For them, the trauma of addiction has no starting or ending point. It seeps into every aspect of their being.

Masters of deception, addicts are quick to lie to themselves and deny they have a problem. But recovery can only begin when the addict's delusional system cracks and tiny splinters of light slip through the wall of denial.

Catching a glimpse of that light is what this seminar is all about. No addict is going to awaken to recovery after a 90-minute seminar, but the hairline cracks offer a starting point. In time, those cracks of light will widen ever so slightly so that at last the gaping wounds of addiction can be seen and healed.

While recognizing an addiction can be illuminating, it is only the beginning. Statistics show that half of addicts will go on to long-term recovery; the other half will die from their disease. For someone whose identity has been tied up in denial, shame and fear, facing an addiction — even one that could lead to death — is excruciating. Their low frustration tolerance and dependency on a quick fix, makes recovery seem all the more foreboding.

They cannot find their way out of this darkness alone. Addicts, adult children of alcoholics and children of dysfunctional families all need others to guide them. Friends, family, therapy and a Twelve Step program can all fill this role. But family members have their own work to do. Addicts do not live in a vacuum. The tentacles of addiction wrap around their families and choke the life out of healthy relationships for generations.

Everyone has a part to play in this drama, whether it is the teenager who becomes the family hero or the lost child, who copes by simply disappearing. During recovery, they can learn about the role they played, how they too can write their own script and get on with living.

This seminar can help families and individuals see how that dark and distorted picture of life that addiction paints, can become a portrait of a different sort, one that is bright and lighted by the satisfaction of recovery.

What You Will Learn
Topic Outline

Upcoming Seminars and Classes

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Contact Mark Felber and schedule this series for your group.

Office:
Human Connections Counseling Services
Plano, Texas

Phone: (214) 796-2323

E-mail: mark@marriagecpr.com

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