Emotional Architecture

You know the book that you can’t put down, the one you carry in your purse or briefcase, pull it out at stoplights, prop it up on your bathroom sink while you’re drying your hair.  You know the one.

Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan, is a bestselling, historical fiction about Frank Lloyd Wright’s clandestine love affair with his client, Mamah Borthwick Cheney.  The story is much more complex than that of an unfortunate indiscretion.  Wright had the opportunity to advance his architectural genius, worldwide, even after the scandal broke.  But it’s painful to watch as Mamah struggles with the desire to mother her children, to nourish her contemporary, authentic self and to be with a man who feeds her soul.  The kicker is that she proved to be one of the greatest influences in his life.  

The book is all about personal choices and the consequences of those choices. 

One metaphorical nugget towards the end jumped right off the page.
“It’s the space inside that’s the reality of a structure.
And what you put into that space will shape how you live”.

My writer-friend, Constance, summed up its meaning in two words —
emotional architecture.

 

 

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Underground Support Group

I’m currently working on a non-fiction narrative with my writer-friend, Constance.
The subject matter is, of course, mothering addiction.

Over the years, I learned the hard way that, in the face of addiction, the rules of motherhood are radically altered.  My healing story begins when, one by one, I reconnect with four women who have also retreated into the shame and secrecy of parenting a child who is struggling with substance abuse.  We form an underground support group and call ourselves The Book Club.  We have grown together as we grapple with the knife-edged paradox of loving our children while letting them go.     As I weave together our stories, readers will recognize a profile for sons and daughters who abuse everything from alcohol to heroin.  The book will also include expert advice and commentary from substance abuse specialists who work with     pre-teens through young adults.

I hope this can become a book that readers will lovingly press into the hands of another parent-friend.

Recommended Book List
A Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey through his Son’s Addiction, by David Sheff
Stay Close: A Mother’s Story of Her Son’s Addiction, by Libby Cataldi

If blog readers know of any other books in this genre, written by parents of an addict, please Leave a Comment !

 

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Addiction Recovery/Steven Tyler

Addiction recovery is not like horseshoes or hand grenades.
There’s no “almost”.
You’re either all in or you’re fooling yourself.

The recovery journey is unique to the individual.
Relapse is often part of the odyssey.
The challenge, if relapse occurs, is to get up, dust yourself off and begin again.  

Recovery resources come in many forms, including outpatient treatment,
inpatient treatment,  sober living facilities and 12 Step methodology
groups such as AA, NA and Al-Anon.

Hopefully, the one in recovery is hard at work employing a combination
of these resources to achieve their ultimate goal – a lifetime of healing.  

The journey is long and winding and the work doesn’t allow for vacations. 

On the September 10 episode of Dr. Oz, Steven Tyler, Aerosmith’s
frontman was unguarded when talking about his life long struggle with
substance abuse.  He was a seasoned drug addict for many years and
in the process, he lost himself and much more.     

“My sobriety cost me nothing less than everything”, says Tyler.
That’s a lot.

Throughout those years, he was in and out of recovery.

In 2009, Tyler fell off the stage during a tour performance and, subsequently endured multiple surgeries.
He didn’t follow his recovery program and kept tempting painkillers at his bedside.
Tyler talks about “euphoric recall” and how strong the force is.  
“I can’t take anything mood altering, ’cause if I do, I like to ride it”.
Spoken like a true rock star.

He checked in to the Betty Ford Center and found a mentor in Dr. Harry Haroutunian, author of Being Sober, who is also in recovery.  He was promoting Haroutunian’s book on Dr. Oz.

Tyler can’t say that relapse isn’t in his future, but for today, he is on fire
and back to doing what he loves most.

His story is a lesson in resilience.

  

 

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The Anonymous People

I watched the trailer for the new documentary, The Anonymous People, and it took my breath away. 

“This is our Black Plague”, says actor Kristen Johnston, speaking to an audience. She’s talking about addiction. 

And this film is a rallying cry for changing public policy on addiction and challenging our private assumptions about the over 23 million people impacted in this country.   A rush of emotion hit me at 1:04 in the clip with the words,“our country is trying to incarcerate our way out of the problem”. 

Leading the charge are legions of recovering people who are finding their voices, no longer willing to live in anonymity.





The JHW Foundation, Inc., in Richmond, VA. is proud to present a screening of The Anonymous People at The Westhampton Theater on Wed., Oct. 23 at 7:30.

Please click on the link below to purchase your ticket.

 

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