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I had just been released from detox and was starting an outpatient addiction treatment program for the ninth time. “One day at a time”, that saying in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous, still sounded corny to me, just like it had 8 times before. I was afraid. I was 22 years old, sitting in my childhood room on my twin

This book was inspired by the author’s success helping his brother Henry, who had schizophrenia, accept treatment. Dr. Xavier Amador shares his own personal experience with specific tips and recommendations based on LEAP (Listen, Empathize, Agree, Partner). He designed LEAP to help family members with loved ones who don’t recognize they have a severe mental health condition like schizophrenia. The

On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, we hosted an informative Pathway Session on how Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) could successfully help struggling families in CT. The reason for the session was that several NCPSG parents have been impacted by a loved one’s serious mental illness, specifically schizophrenia caused by high-potency THC. This is quickly becoming an epidemic in our state. As

What are the best strategies, big or small, to help a loved one find and sustain recovery? Author JasonCoombs offers practical guidance to empower and educate family members and friends. None of thetips offered by author Jason Coombs are new. However, Jason used them and watched family members(namely his mother) use them to success. So he logically details his recommendations

I was born and raised in a small town called Adams in upstate New York. Adams is locatedabout an hour south of Canada so it’s the REAL upstate New York and I am proud of it! I havetwo amazing parents and an older sister. I began drinking around 11 or 12 years old and drankalcoholically right away. My parents also

Our March 5, 2025 Zoom Pathway Session with Shawn Robinson was informative and hopeful. During the session, Shawn described how the Enders Island Recovery Residence strengthens recovery for young adult males post chemical detox and an inpatient treatment program. When Shawn gets a call from a parent, it’s usually in desperation. The family “has tried everything”, and nothing has worked.

This book is a mash-up of specific and directed meditative exercises and the neuroscience of why,biologically, each exercise bolsters psychological health. The goal is to increase resilience–to change the brain to respond to the inevitable twists and turns of life. Author Graham describes what she calls the 5C’s of coping, and describes how different exercises will increase oxytocin and fully

My paternal grandfather shot himself to death the year I was born due to depressionand alcohol addiction. My paternal grandmother suffered from blackout drinking herentire life and was charged with DUI in her 70s. Both my mother and father had severeproblems with alcohol use that included frequent physical and verbal altercations in thepresence of me and my siblings. My mother

The bad news: I am hearing more and more of our parents talking not only about addiction to THC, but also cannabis-induced psychosis (CIP). While in some cases the psychosis is temporary, in others–including many in their teens and twenties–the disorder transitions into a spectrum of schizophrenia disorders. Sadly, there are limited resources to help relieve families of the burden

On Tuesday, February 11, we hosted Steve Paymer for our Drug-testing Pathway Session at St. Mark’s. Steve reviewed substance testing options, and the pros and cons of each. This was an outstanding one-hour session, with both education on testing modalities and Steve’s inspiring personal story to boot. Steve started the session by noting that drug and alcohol monitoring, if done