Parenting While in Recovery from Drug or Alcohol Addiction

Recovery from drug or alcohol addiction isn’t easy. Those in recovery need to set priorities and do what is right for them on a daily basis. They need to keep themselves safe and away from the things in life that trigger them to want to use or drink again.

For a mother, it’s even harder. The added stress of being a parent can result in a trigger to start using again. Just bringing their child to a playground can remind them of their earlier days when they bought drugs at the same park. It’s important for moms in recovery to know and practice safe coping skills. To find a balance between being a mom and being a woman in recovery.

Crossroads for Women offers a therapy group called Sober Parenting to expectant and current moms. Maria Moustrouphis, the clinician who runs the group, describes the group as open and friendly, where moms can learn from each other and not worry about being judged. Many women in recovery have not had good parenting role models in their lives. They might not be aware of typical child development, the difference between discipline and punishment or even age-appropriate activities for their child. The Sober Parenting group talks about these topics and more and tailors each group discussion to what the members of the group want to explore.

The group currently meets on Wednesdays from 12:15pm – 2:45pm at Crossroads for Women’s outpatient office in Portland, Maine. For more information or to join this group, call 207.773.9931. View a list of current therapy groups being offered by Crossroads for Women’s Outpatient Program (PDF)

technorati tags: sober, parenting, mothers, addiction, therapy

Kids Response to Alcohol Odor Linked to Mom’s Emotions

A study coming out of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia connects kids reactions to alcohol odors to their mom’s emotions. Children of mothers who were considered to be “escape drinkers” were more likely to choose an unpleasant smell over the smell of beer than children of non-escape drinkers.

A mother was determined to be an “escape drinker” if she had at least 2 escape reasons – i.e., helps to relax, need when tense and nervous, helps to cheer up when in a bad mood, helps to forget worries, and helps to forget everything – for drinking. 35 women in the study were classified as “escape drinkers.” 145 children between the ages of 5 and 8 participated.

The children were presented with 7 pairs of odors, one always being beer, and were asked which odor they preferred. Children of the “escape drinkers” preferred the odor that was not beer, even when the other odor was as unpleasant as cigarette smoke or rotten eggs. Questionnaire results from the mothers also showed that “escape drinkers” drank more than non-escape drinkers, thus exposing their children to the smells of alcohol more often. The same mothers were shown to be more tense and more likely to worry and feel guilty about their drinking.

According to the study’s lead author Julie Mennella, PhD, a Monell biopsychologist, “Children’s responses to odors provide us with a window into their emotions…Even before their first taste, young children are learning about alcohol and about why their parents drink. They do this by seeing people drink and hearing them talk about it.”

The study appears in the journal Alcohol, 2008, 42, 249-260.

Read the press release from the Monell Chemical Senses Center: Kids connect alcohol odors with mom’s emotions

Technorati Tags: alcohol, beer, odor, kids, mothers, emotions, Monell

Project Linus Blankets Keep Kids in Crossroads for Women’s CAMP Comfortable

Last year, Crossroads for Women teamed up with Project Linus to help the kids in the Children And Mothers Program (CAMP) feel a little more comfortable when staying with their moms in residential substance abuse treatment.

CAMP is the only program in Maine that provides on-site living arrangements and daycare to minor children of mothers in recovery from chemical dependency. Moms can bring up to 2 children, ages 6 weeks to 10, while they participate in Crossroads for Women’s residential rehabilitation or halfway house program.

One of the major barriers to women getting treatment for a drug or alcohol problem is not having reliable childcare. Having the ability to bring children with them to treatment helps immensely, and studies have shown that women stay in treatment longer when they have their kids with them. Of course, it’s not always easy for the children to move to a treatment facility for 2 – 6 months and be with other families they don’t know.

Project Linus‘ mission is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.” Local Maine Project Linus “blanketeers” donate beautiful blankets with different themes and colors. The choice of blankets makes it easy for organizations like Crossroads for Women to personalize each blanket given to a child in CAMP. And that one blanket means a whole lot to a child.

Maine had a particularly long, cold and snowy winter this year. The special blanket that 4-year-old Cayden received, pictured with his mom, helped get him through. When asked what he thought of the blanket he received he responded, “Thank you so much for the blanket, it made me feel really special and it kept me warm all winter long.”

Technorati Tags: Crossroads for Women, Project Linus, CAMP, Children And Mothers Program, substance abuse