Looking Back with Gratitude

We didn’t see this coming.

Late in March, an email arrived from Marvin Ventrell, CEO of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP). A phone call followed. We learned that the NAATP Board had chosen to recognize our work, and we were stunned. Honestly, we still are.

What moved us most wasn’t simply the award itself. It was the words that accompanied it. Hearing respected colleagues put into words the ideas that have guided our work for so many years was, in many ways, the greatest gift of all.

The honor came in the form of the 2026 Michael Ford Journalism Award, which recognizes excellence in writing and communication about addiction treatment and recovery. But what moved us most was the way Marvin described the meaning of our work.

In his letter to us, he wrote that our work represents “the validation of the family as an honored and essential component of care. Rather than the derision and classification of family as a dysfunctional unit, yours is one of respect, agency, and hope.”

We could not have said it better ourselves.

For nearly forty years, we have devoted our professional lives to helping families intervene with love and engage fully in treatment and recovery. For more than thirty years, we have had the privilege of writing about that journey.

When we entered this field, families were often viewed primarily through the lens of pathology. Our experience was different. Again and again, we witnessed mothers, fathers, spouses, siblings, children, and friends become powerful allies in the healing process. We came to believe that families are not simply affected by recovery—they can help create the conditions in which recovery flourishes.

Like many people who spend their lives in this work, we rarely stop to look backward. Looking back now, we feel far more gratitude than accomplishment.

We think of the mentors who taught us, the colleagues who challenged us, the treatment centers that welcomed us, and the many professionals who dedicated their lives to helping others. Most of all, we think of the thousands of families who trusted us during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

They allowed us to learn alongside them. They gave meaning to our work. In many ways, this honor belongs to them as much as it does to us.

We also know that treatment and recovery are shared journeys. As they say in 12-Step circles: “It’s a WE program!” None of us does this work alone, and no family should have to face addiction alone. Recovery is built on the willingness of people to stand together and find the power available to everyone. In the end, recovery is not about me or you. It is about us.

Receiving this recognition has given us an opportunity to pause and reflect with gratitude. We are grateful to our colleagues for this unexpected honor. Most of all, we are grateful to the thousands of individuals and families who allowed us to share in their journey. They have been our greatest teachers.

Jeff Jay and Debra Jay