Our Daddy Was A Heroin Addict

He often appeared amusing to family and friends alike. Daddy was seen as a very cool guy by many people. Of course, I looked up to him. However, secretly, I didn’t expect Daddy to be around for very long. As I continued to get to know more and more of Daddy, this very troubled and dark side of him began to emerge. I hadn’t yet realized that we’re all very complicated and complex beings. Thus, Daddy became frightful to himself, as well as to me. Something about his behaviors became off-kilter.

A mix of self-help, parenting, and understanding the disease of addiction in the family. A description of life-changing issues which addicts and their families face when recovery begins from drug & alcohol abuse. It's about discovering the Sober Self, practicing new principles in a renewed life rich in hope and faith, nurturing a balance between body, mind, emotions, and spirit, and learning how to raise a resilient child in a 12 Step home. The book is an extension of Brandon Beckman's Life Journal and includes enduring memories and unforgettable experiences as a recovering addict, an Addiction Treatment Professional, and business owner dedicated to building healthy communities around the world.

Ray should have died on three separate occasions when he was in the ICU. But sheer tenacity, an almost delusional belief that COVID would not kill him, and the prayers of family and friends kept Ray alive for five weeks throughout his near-fatal COVID ordeal. Ray emerged from the hospital suffused with a renewed joy for, and love of, life. He set out in his recovery to regain his former vigor and complete the memoir he had been writing for years. This memoir is more than about surviving COVID. It is the story of how one man came to realize how blessed he has been throughout his life. It is the story of an unshakeable faith in God despite the setbacks, dangers, and trauma that life brings. Far from the Cliff is one man's prayer of thanksgiving for the beauty, love, and happiness that can be ours, even as we face endless trials, an uncertain future, and our own looming mortality.

Despite her parents' struggles with addiction, Lilly Dancyger always thought of her childhood as a happy one. But what happens when a journalist interrogates her own rosy memories to reveal the instability around the edges? Dancyger's father, Joe Schactman, was part of the iconic 1980s East Village art scene. He created provocative sculptures out of found materials like animal bones, human hair, and broken glass, and brought his young daughter into his gritty, iconoclastic world. She idolized him—despite the escalating heroin addiction that sometimes overshadowed his creative passion. When Schactman died suddenly, just as Dancyger was entering adolescence, she went into her own self-destructive spiral, raging against a world that had taken her father away. As an adult, Dancyger began to question the mythology she'd created about her father—the brilliant artist, struck down in his prime. Using his sculptures, paintings, and prints as a guide, Dancyger sought out the characters from his world who could help her decode the language of her father's work to find the truth of who he really was.

In the bestselling tradition of The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Humans of New York comes a collection of authentic, emotional, and inspiring stories about life’s most important moments, as curated by the editors at Love What Matters. “90% of the reads bring me to tears. I just can't believe the love this world truly has when all we see is hate. This is so uplifting.” —Shelsea Where do you go when you want to feel inspired? When you want to forget about the divisiveness and the anger? For over five million people, that place is Love What Matters, a digital platform dedicated to finding and sharing the daily moments of kindness, compassion, and love that so often go overlooked. This curated collection of powerful stories features first person accounts and photographs that perfectly capture each moment: A husband learning he’s about to be a dad. A new mom embracing her body. A cashier inadvertently teaching a young girl a lesson about patience. A bagel from a stranger that saved a homeless man’s life. From long overdue adoptions to military heroes returning home; from a fireman’s touching 9/11 tribute to what an old dinner plate found at a bake sale can teach us all about life—these are the moments that matter. They are genuine. Authentic. Raw. And they are perfect in their imperfection—just like all of us. You will no doubt experience goosebumps and tears, but this mosaic of life’s moments will leave you with something even more profound: a reminder that, in the end, love always wins. “This really is the best page on Facebook. It renews your love of humanity. There are still good people. We need more reports of acts of kindness.” —Johnny

When tragedy strikes, and violent death hits families, the children are the unseen victims, sadness beyond belief, usually goes unnoticed, children don’t have all the words to express the fear, the emptiness and the awful way they feel. It never gets better, it gets different.

My Daddy's Secret the sensitive-often heartbreaking-true story of the effects of a father's secret sexual addictions on his family-particularly on his oldest daughter, whom he made his confidante when she was just nine years old. The author hopes this book will provide new insights into the pain such addictions inflict on families-and insight into God's amazing grace in healing those pains. Denise Shick, an author, speaker, and the Director of Help4Families, a Christian ministry that compassionately reaches out to family members and churches, bringing a broader understanding of the emotional pain and spiritual confusion that people face when a loved one has gender-identity issues. Help4Families networks hurting family members with resources, Christian counselors, and personal/group supports. Denise leads a church-based support group for people with sexual addictions. Denise is the Administrator of Family related issues with TGIF (Transgender International Fellowship). She has served as a program aid for an alcohol and substance abuse clinic. She also has 7 years experience with a Christian Pregnancy Center in the roles of Administrative Assistant, a volunteer counselor, and later she implemented an abstinence program in which she had the lead role of the Abstinence Director. Denise has been married for 26 years and has four children.

This is a "must" book for children ages 5-12 from addictive families. This is an illustrated workbook that explains and portrays addiction from the viewpoint of children who have at least one addicted parent. Some of the many points covered are: the disease concept, personality changes, blackouts, relapses, and recovery. This workbook gives children the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings and to better understand addiction. The original pictures and stories were created by children ages five through fourteen. After many years and thousands of children using this workbook, it has been revised to address the fact that today, if a child lives with addiction, it may not be alcohol addiction. The family member may be addicted to other drugs. This revised edition is also expanded to be more inclusive of children whose addicted parent may be their mother. www.claudiablack.com.