This is the archive of The Elephant on Main Street blog that I wrote from 2005 - 2007. Its subtitle, as well as that of the larger website it was a part of, was "An Interactive Journal of Addictions and Recoveries."
My wife, Deirdre, continues the website as a roundup of relevant news items that she invites comment about, as well as a social network.
I have been in recovery for nearly 25 years; Deirdre, for almost as long. Both of our families on our fathers' sides have a long and broad history of alcoholism. This blog directly rose out of the airing of "Saving Carrick" on Dateline NBC, a documentary that followed our family as we dealt with our daughter's addiction to heroin, and her subsequent recovery. The blog petered out when the discussion area of our larger Web site was unplugged by an sketchy service provider. Then my attention was diverted by prostate cancer. I am happy to report that all of our addictions, as well as the prostate cancer, remain in remission.
When you are in the throes of a potentially fatal disease like addiction or cancer, it sometimes seems to consume every fiber of your being. Parents of young men and women who are addicted to a substance live with the horror of their children being on the edge of death, as well as their own guilt, doubt and uncertainly about what to do. Often, the best way to deal with this uncertainly is to get involved with others who are dealing with the same issues, sharing information and stories, hope and tragedy, as we did here.
I've move the blog entries to this site with the hope that some of the items might help others who are undergoing a similar journey. I've believe removed nonfunctioning links, but more will inevitably creep in over time.
Feel free to email me, or Deirdre, if you have any questions. We fervently believe in this sentiment expressed by Evan T. Princhard in his excellent book about the Algonquin people, No Word For Time:
According to the medicine teaching, there is no bad person, no crazy person; each person's flaws are part of the wheel of life, which is itself flawless. Each person's struggles are a great mystery to be revealed, each struggle becomes a story, each story becomes teaching, each teaching becomes medicine, and medicine makes the people whole and well in spirit.
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