Alcoholism is a thief because it takes so much from us mentally, physically, and spiritually. It not only robs us of our wellbeing, our health, and our faith, it steals us away from our family and friends. Above all, alcoholism destroys trust—the bedrock of all relationships. Addiction all but forces us to lie about our actions, sowing suspicion, anger and despair among family members and friends. Worse yet, alcoholism causes us to say things we would never say and do things we would never do, robbing us of our dignity and hurting the people we love the most. It is cruel thief.

Real stories of families struggling with addiction who found happiness again.

Children suffer silently when a parent is addicted, yet they are often forgotten. Jerry Moe has been at the forefront of helping the children of addicted families for decades.

Creative ways lower-cost treatment can provide excellent programs. Two treatment experts share their wisdom, offering hope for families and clients. Jim Balmer, co-founder of the Dawn Farm treatment program and Anna Byberg, clinical director, and incoming president of Dawn Farm.

Discernment begins with a dilemma. What should I do? Discernment is also the way out of the dilemma, a method for discovering the way forward.

What remains when we find ourselves in the well of despair—when all is lost? We see no way out of the darkness, no glimmer of light to guide us.

John Curtiss is CEO and co-founder of The Retreat, in Wayzata, MN. The Retreat is the most admired twelve step immersion program in the country.

John Driscoll, senior VP of Recovery Services at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, began his career working with homeless addicted women and their children at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, in Chicago. Listen to his fascinating story.

Dr. Dupont said he had been working in the drug treatment field for twenty years before he really understood recovery. –This from Harvard-trained psychiatrist who did part of his residency at the National Institutes of Health. What could he possibly have meant by this statement?

Sharon Matthew, MA, and Ming Wang, MD, are experts in older adult treatment. They talk about the many special considerations for treating people 55 and older–and their families.

A newly released study shows that AA is a highly effective treatment, and in most cases, it is more effective than other methods.

Joe Nowinski, PhD, is the author of “If You Work It, It Works! The Science Behind Twelve Step Recovery.” He is an author and educator who truly understands recovery.

Every fall I feel a renewed sense of gratitude for the people who helped me get sober. I wasn’t looking for help, so their job wasn’t easy. Fortunately, my resistance didn’t stop them from taking action—repeatedly. And for that, I am deeply grateful.

Carver Brown has presented the “Back to Basics” approach to the 12 Steps to more than 7.000 people. He is passionate about recovery.