Parents Supporting Parents

01/11/2026

I didn't write the words below, but they're precisely why I wrote Jagged Little Lies... because families need support, too.

I am not an addict.
But try and love one, and then see if you can look me square in the eyes and tell me that you didn’t get addicted to trying to fix them and help them.
If you’re lucky, they recover. If you’re really lucky, you recover, too.
Loving a drug addict can and will consume your every thought. Watching their physical deterioration and emotional detachment to everything will make you the most tired insomniac alive.
You will beg and plead with them that you “just want them back.” If you watch the person you love disappear right in front of your eyes long enough, you will start to dissolve too.
Those not directly affected won’t be able to understand why you are so focused on your loved one’s well-being.
Don’t become angry with these people. They do not understand. They are lucky to not understand. You’ll catch yourself wishing that you didn’t understand, either.
“What if you had to wake up every day and wonder if today was the day your family member was going to die?” will become a popular, not-so-rhetorical question.
Drug addiction has the largest ripple effect that I have ever witnessed firsthand. It causes parents to outlive their children. It causes jail time and homelessness. It causes parents to leave their children. It causes an endless cycle of drug abuse and suicides. It causes sisters to mourn their siblings. It causes nieces and nephews to never meet their aunts and uncles. It tears families apart. It causes an absence before the exit. It becomes a cycle that repeats itself with each generation.
You will see your loved one walking and talking, but the truth is, you will lose them far before they actually succumb to their demons; which, if they don’t find recovery, is inevitable.
Drug addiction causes families to come to fear a ringing phone or a knock on the door.
It causes vague obituaries. I read the papers and I follow the news; and it is scary. “Died suddenly” has officially become obituary-speak for “another young person found dead from a drug overdose.”
Drug addiction causes bedrooms and social media sites to become memorials. It causes the “yesterdays” to outnumber the “tomorrows.” It causes things to break; like the law, trust and homes. Drug addiction causes statistics to rise and knees to fall, as praying seems like the only thing left to do sometimes.
People have a way of pigeonholing those who suffer from addiction. They don’t understand that addiction is an illness. Addicts have families and aspirations.
You will learn that drug addiction doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care if the addict came from a loving home or a broken family. Drug addiction doesn’t care if you are religious. Drug addiction doesn’t care if you are a straight-A student or a drop-out. Drug addiction doesn’t care what ethnicity you are. Drug addiction will show you that one decision and one lapse in judgment can alter the course of an entire life.
Drug addiction doesn’t care. Period.
But you care.
There is always a reason behind the start of addiction. It can never be dealt with or healed while in the throes of addiction. It won’t let them heal and will tell them, it can’t. But you know it can, you just can’t reach them. Even if you do reach them, it disappears just as quickly as it appeared.
You will learn to hate the drug but love the addict. You will begin to accept that you need to separate who the person once was with who they are now.
It is not the person who uses, but the addict. It is not the person, who does anything to support their habit, but the addict. It is not the person who spews obscenities at their family, but the addict. It is not the person who lies, but the addict.
And yet, sadly... it is not the addict who dies, but the person. 😞💔

Author Unknown

01/11/2026

A New Year. A New You. Because When The Most Destructive Force In Your Life Is You, It's Time To Get Help.

IF YOU STRUGGLE with addiction, as I have, you know the hopeless feeling that exists on the other side of being high. It's a place we try to avoid—reality--that space of time when you're not high or intoxicated and forced to face the consequences of your actions.

For me, reality was the morning after. I'd lie in bed and remember all the awful, embarrassing things I'd done the night before. I would replay each moment, wishing I could turn back the hands of time and undo my humiliating deeds. I sought chemical relief to cope with my painful emotions, and the process would start over again. I was baffled by my inability to use drugs and alcohol socially. I tried changing how much I used, what I used, and the places I used, but it didn't help. Each time I consumed drugs or alcohol, the consequences seemed to get worse. Despite my good intentions, I continued hurting my family and myself.

At the time, I didn't believe I was addicted. I didn't know I was sick or that my thinking had changed. Addiction is sneaky like that. It starts with subtle shifts in your perception and behavior. The following are five ways it sucks you in.

(1) Denial Sneaks In And Takes Over.

Denial is a primary roadblock to getting help. Denial makes things appear smaller than they are. Denial tells you your problems aren't that bad. Denial says I'm not hurting anyone. Denial says I can quit whenever I want to. Denial keeps you from seeing the truth. Denial is dangerous as it minimizes warning signs and perpetuates the problem. Denial allows addiction to thrive while keeping its host blindfolded.

(2) You Make Promises You Can't Keep

You promise to show up on grandma's birthday. Yes, you'll pick up the kids after school. Of course, you're coming home straight after work. But despite your good intentions, you're unable to follow through. You can't predict what might happen once you pick up. You've lost credibility, and scarier still, the more you try and control your addiction, the more it controls you.

(3) You Lie To Your Friends And Family

The lies are adding up, and you tell friends and family what they want to hear to get them off your back. You may pit parent against parent or friend against friend. You know who to call when you need money. You're good at fabricating excuses and making it seem like the problems you create aren't your fault. You blame others when cornered and manipulate your loved ones through guilt and fear tactics.

(4) Getting High Becomes A Full-Time Job

While getting high was fun in the beginning, now it's work. When you're not high, you're miserable. The euphoric release you once found in the substance has disappeared. You're not using to feel high anymore; you're using to avoid withdrawal symptoms. You need increasingly larger doses to produce the same physiological and psychological effects as your tolerance increases.

(5) Shame Is Your Second Skin

You know you're spiraling into new deep ends but don't know how to stop it. You're hurting everyone who loves you, and your best thinking is killing you. You're ashamed to look in the mirror. Shame is a toxic emotion that tells you you're unworthy, unlovable, and inadequate. Shame says give up. Shame says there's no sense in trying because you'll only fail. Shame is a liar that creates feelings of hopelessness and despair.

Putting off getting clean/sober doesn't make it easier. It just makes you sicker. When the most destructive force in your life is you, it's time to get help. While you're not responsible for your addiction, you are responsible for your recovery.

Nobody wakes up and says, "I'm going to be an addict." But there is one choice they make: how long they will stay sick. While addiction isn't a choice, recovery is.

There is hope.

Addiction is a highly treatable illness, and recovery happens when you stop making excuses and take action.

Make 2026 your year to shine. Ask for help because the only way you can fail at recovery is to quit trying.

Lorelie Rozzano
www.jaggedlittleedges.com

01/10/2026

Join us for the BFree Wellness Inc Workshop 🌿

A gentle, supportive space to explore movement, mindfulness, and connection—designed to support recovery, emotional regulation, and overall wellness.

📍 Sandwich Center for Active Living
🗓 Saturday, January 31
⏰ 10:00–11:30 AM

This workshop is open to anyone impacted by substance use.

✨ Bring your yoga mat (or borrow one of ours!)

🔗 Scan the QR code to sign up!

01/05/2026

PSP welcomes John G to our weekly support meeting Monday, Jan 5. Hope to see you there or on zoom!

“At a very young age I was introduced to alcohol. That ultimately led to drug use as I got older. Along with drug use came homelessness, stealing, cheating, etc. In 2021 I started my journey in recovery with multiple relapses and many facilities including psychiatric wards to CSS’s and rehabs. On May 1, 2023 I finally had enough digging to my rock bottom. I went to my final recovery center and till this day I am almost 3 years clean and sober.”

01/03/2026

When some people talk about addiction, they might frame it as a matter of willpower or poor choices. Dr. Ruth A. Potee argues that it is far more predictable than that and is rooted in the brain.

In her upcoming Falmouth Forum lecture titled “Physiology of Addiction: Preventable, Treatable and Largely Ignored in Medicine” at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Potee will center her talk on what she describes as the three most common risk factors for developing substance use disorder: genetics, early exposure to addictive substances and a history of trauma.

Potee said her lecture will be structured in three layers: first, an explanation of the most common risk factors for substance use disorder; second, a discussion of the most effective treatments currently available; and lastly, a look ahead at treatment access and resources in the state in 2026.

The forum will be held at the Cornelia Clapp Auditorium in Woods Hole on Friday, January 9, from 7:30 to 8:30 PM.

🔗 Tap the link in the comments for the full inside scoop ahead of Friday's talk ⬇️

12/30/2025

Dr. Potee is renowned and respected in her field. I would highly encourage attendance at this event if you have someone that struggles with substance use disorder!
https://www.capenews.net/falmouth/news/doctor-to-discuss-physiology-of-addiction-at-upcoming-falmouth-forum/article_b7def9d5-f178-4e19-94de-b42242e3a8bd.html?fbclid=IwdGRzaAO-rQ9jbGNrA76s6GV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHvHmMtKkV7xzMnYlJiN_SNydEoND7M69y8oZwJ-gTXt51KeRbsiC6osOHCLN_aem_hM7za9CaX5l8CT9GMMotqQ&sfnsn=mo

When some people talk about addiction, they might frame it as a matter of willpower or poor choices. Dr. Ruth A. Potee argues that it is far more predictable than

12/22/2025

12/21/2025

On Wednesday we held our 4th annual PSP Holiday Pot Luck supper for the sober homes. Close to 200 were in attendance! It’s a night we look forward to every year as it truly what makes the holiday season extra special for so many of us! A HUGE thank you to Candace Sinins and Mike Moore who arranged collections for all the holiday baskets for the residents in the sober homes. They did an amazing job! Another HUGE thank you all the PSP members who donated all the items for the baskets! And finally another HUGE shoutout to Curtis Vincent who provided his DJ services at no charge!We could not have done it without all of you!! It’s amazing what can be accomplished when you believe in a cause! We heard testimonies from many who have begun a new life with the help of a PSP scholarship! To date this year we have awarded over 500 scholarships. PSP is always looking for volunteers! Reach out to us to learn how you can help create miracles. Happy Holidays to all and may the New Year bring a new start to many more!

12/14/2025

PSP is excited to welcome Aubrey W. to our weekly support meeting Monday 12/15!

Aubrey is a person in long-term recovery, celebrating seven years of sustained sobriety. For the past six years, he has dedicated his career to the recovery field, beginning with a reentry program supporting men recently released from incarceration as they rebuilt their lives. He later served as a Gambling Ambassador, helping individuals navigate both substance use and gambling addiction.

Aubrey’s leadership pathway includes serving as Interim Director and Assistant Director at the Pier Recovery Center in Hyannis before moving into his current role as Director of the Falmouth Recovery Center under the Gandara Center. He also continues to give back as a part-time Recovery Coach with the Herren Project.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Aubrey is a devoted father whose children remain his greatest motivation and guiding purpose. His love for his family fuels his commitment to being a steady, positive example both at home and in the community.

Passionate about service, connection, and second chances, Aubrey is deeply committed to strengthening and uplifting the recovery community. His experience, heart, and leadership make him a positive role model in this community.

12/14/2025

Please share ‼️ It’s not too late to help make Christmas a little extra special for those in sober homes this coming holiday season! We have had over 314 items purchased to date with only 95 items still needed! Thank you to all who have purchased items so far! Let’s see if we can complete these baskets with items for those in need and a few games to help pass the time. Many will not be home with family this holiday seas on and this will give them some of the items they need while in sober living!!

(When ordering you have a choice all with free shipping. Michael Moore will pick up or you can have shipped to Mike. His address is noted when ordering.). Thank you!