As a parent, discovering that your child has a problem with alcohol or drugs is a devastating experience. The emotions you feel run the gamut — disbelief, denial, anger, fear and guilt. One of the best experiences for families new to the Cornerstone program is getting to know other parents who have gone through similar experiences and who understand some of what you're feeling. The letters below are from Cornerstone Parents willing to share their stories of strength, hope and recovery.

I Didn't Think He was Ready - A Mother's Story

My purpose in attending my first Cornerstone meeting was to learn how to parent my fourteen year old drug addict son.  I did not bring him with me because I did not think he was ready to seek recovery. It had been obvious to me that he had a drug (including alcohol) problem since he was twelve years old. While I had made many failed attempts to protect him from drug use (e.g. boarding school), I thought he had not used mind altering chemicals long enough to know he was powerless. I thought he would not be able to engage in the recovery process. I now have a different viewpoint.  Read more

Don't Give Up - A Mother's Story

If there’s a message I want to pass on to families new in recovery, it’s that ‘It’s never too late! There’s always HOPE and not to give up.” My journey is a testament to that. My daughter and I came to CS when she was 17. I had already been involved with her in recovery for several years and was tired and fed-up. I had spent all this energy and money and she wasn’t getting it- she wasn’t staying sober. Read more 

Not Just a Phase - A Dad's Story

It has been an experience to watch my son grow into a man. What started out as a sad adolescent has emerged into a productive member of society. His drug use started out with marijuana and slowly, but surely moved into sedatives and alcohol. There were countless nights waiting for him to come home safely, millions of excuses of why he was late to curfew and tons of denial from me. I refused to admit he was an alcoholic and drug addict, rather thought this as a phase of adolescence. Read more