Without Shame: The Addict`s Mom and Her Family Share Their Stories of Pain and Healing, Theodosiou Barbara

Barbara Theodosiou and her family reveal the pain, loss, and connection that emerge from addiction, trauma, codependency, and recovery in this unique view into the heart of a national crisis.

The ringing phone startles Barbara during another sleepless night. She knows it must be Daniel, her big-hearted, intelligent son who has spent years cycling through hospitals, jails, and treatment centers. Although Daniels childhood struggles started much earlier, he was sixteen when Barbara discovered he was horribly addicted to DXM, the drug found in many over-the-counter cough medicines. After picking up the pieces from one more of her sons relapses, Barbara seeks support in the online refuge she created when she had nowhere else to turn: The Addicts Mom. There, she can Share Without Shame with others who understand. These other mothers know that it can become normal to hope your son will be locked up so he isnt sleeping on the street. These other moms understand how it feels to realize you have not just one addicted child but two--Barbara discovered her oldest son Peters addiction just six months after Daniels. And when that happens, sometimes all a mother can do is try to save herself.