Several years ago my world was turned upside down. I discovered that my amazing son, the guy everyone loved and respected, the 4th degree black belt and father of two, a good looking, funny, hard working guy, was an addict and an alcoholic.
But it wasn’t something I instantly “discovered”, first I ignored warnings, then I refused to believe obvious signs, and then I enabled unacceptable, life threatening behavior, all because I am a Mom who believed in her son and knew the person he really was.
The problem was, the person he really was had been taken over by addiction. So the person I was talking to, watching, laying awake at night worrying about, was no longer in charge of his life, his addiction was making all of his decisions for him – about life, family, work, alcohol and drugs.
I had lost him, but I wasn’t the only one…he had lost himself too.
Long story, short…it was a multi-year process, but I am one of the lucky Moms. My son is still here, and he is in recovery and doing very well in every aspect of his life. He’s happy, and successful, and back to being THAT guy, the one everyone loves and respects, the (now) 5th degree black belt and father of two, a good looking, funny, hard working guy who chose life over addiction.
Yes, I am lucky, and grateful. And as our lives got better, I knew there was something I needed to do to help others who were struggling to understand something that is nearly impossible to understand, to provide hope to Moms who are close to losing theirs, and to offer love and support to those grieving. And I needed to help those who are struggling the most, persons who are battling addiction.
Thus was born 10,000 Beds. And this is our story.
My name is Jean. And I am an enabling Mom. And thank God, I am one of the lucky ones. But more than anything, I am grateful.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there…those wondering, those grieving, those grateful, and those hoping.
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Jean Krisle is the CEO/Founder of 10,000 Beds, Inc. a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Our mission is recovery. We are currently #OnTheRoad4Recovery for at least a year to elevate awareness, change perceptions around addiction and recovery, and connect with partners new and old. You can connect with Jean at the 2017 ETHOS conferences in Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia and New Orleans. You can support 10,000 Beds by making a contribution today to help provide scholarships for those without resources seeking help for addiction.