Barbara Joy - Moms to Moms: Parenting Wisdom from Moms in Recovery

Moms to Moms warmly welcomes readers into the heart of parenting, with practical advice and uplifting anecdotes covering a wide variety of tasks and concerns. Barbara Joy's wisdom, experience, and love for recovery and parenting shines brightly through each page. I heartily recommend it.

MARY COOK, MA, RAS, AUTHOR OF GRACE LOST AND FOUND: FROM ADDICTIONS AND COMPULSIONS TO SATISFACTION AND SERENITY

Being a mom is living a role. What every woman wants and needs is an authentic life of her own. So read and learn how to find your life and give birth to your new self.

BERNIE SIEGEL, MD, AUTHOR OF LOVE, MAGIC & MUDPIES AND PRESCRIPTIONS FOR LIVING

These pages offer a community of compassion assuring a mom, You are not alone. Joy masterfully weaves engaging stories from moms all over the country with the threads of her own wise guidance. If you are a mom in recovery, or close to one, this is the book for you.

MARY ANNE RADM ACHER, AUTHOR OF LEAN FORWARD INTO YOUR LIFE

With encouragement and wisdom on every page, Barbara Joy and others share a message of hope and empowerment for moms in recovery. Through their touching and courageous stories they exemplify that your history isn't your destiny and that it is never too late to be the person you want to be. This book is a blessing for every soul in recovery.

STEVE MARABOLI, AUTHOR LIFE, THE TRUTH, AND BEING FREE, RADIO SHOW HOST

As a mother and grandmother in recovery who has been blessed to support and encourage other moms in their journey to recovery, I was moved, encouraged, uplifted, and, most of all, excited to share this book with my children, friends, and members of my group.

JUDY MURPHY, RECOVERY SERVICES COORDINATOR, FIRST RESOURCES CORPORATION; COFOUNDER, MOMS OFF METH

This book is raw and real, yet loving and gentle. You will feel understood, validated, and inspired by Joy's wisdom and practical advice. You will want to read this book cover to cover and then keep it on your nightstand for continuous inspiration.

JANE NELSON, AUTHOR OF SERENITY AND POSITIVE DISCIPLINE

Barbara has a wonderful way of working with moms in recovery and getting them to honestly and openly share their most intimate feelings about motherhood and recovery. She manages to pose the types of questions and concerns that make any mom think about her responsibility to be the best mother she can be. It's not all about young children. As a mom in recovery, I truly appreciated Barbara reaching out to recovering mothers with adult children: those stories were particularly moving because the mothers have learned the art of letting go and letting God. Barbara's use of affirmations and the activities she poses for journal writing are profound and so useful for any mom.

KATHY L., AUTHOR OF THE INTERVENTION BOOK AND 12STEP

Each chapter reminds me of a conversation between women trying their best to overcome addiction while taking care of their children. These women share their pain, courage, regret, pride, and, above all, the utmost love for their children. Joy is clear and nonjudgmental in her writing style. I heartily recommend this book!

PENNY HASTINGS, AUTHOR OF HOW TO WIN A SPORTS SCHOLARSHIP AND SPORTS FOR HER: A REFERENCE GUIDE FOR TEENAGE GIRLS

From the start, opening Moms to Moms is like having coffee and chatting with your best friend. It will truly be a blessing for all those who are lucky enough to read it.

MARY KORZAN, AUTHOR OF WHEN YOU THOUGHT IWASN'T LOOKING: A BOOK OF THANKS FOR MOM

Inspiring, reassuring, touching, and thought provoking: this was my experience reading Moms to Moms. Barbara lets each of us know that what we feel, the transitions we are going through, and the tears we shed are all okay! This is so needed. Bravo!

PAMELA MILLER, COLLABORATIVE JUSTICE COORDINATOR, RIVERSIDE SUPERIOR COURT

Moms to Moms is about destined greatness, success, and significance. Filled with extraordinary stories, testimonies, prose, and practical wisdom, this must-read book is a compass to mothers and children all over the world. This treasure is for you when you yearn for encouragement and need a sisterhood of loving mothers.

DR. ALVIN AUGUSTUS JONES, THE BUSINESS OF WISDOM; RADIO PERSONALITY

By sharing real life experiences from women in recovery, Barbara Joy normalizes the situation and gives hope and strength to women and moms struggling with addiction, helping them to focus on positive changes for themselves and their children. This book serves as another great teaching tool for moms in recovery, those contemplating recovery, as well as professionals and individuals working in the field.

DR. SHARON YOUNEY, PSYD, RAS, BEHAVI ORAL HEALTH AODS SPECIALIST; DRUG-FREE BABIES PERINATAL PLACEMENT SPECIALIST; DEPENDENCY DRUG COURT COORDINATOR

First published in 2011 by Conari Press, an imprint of

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

665 Third Street, Suite 400

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2011 by Barbara Joy

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

ISBN: 978-1-57324-483-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

Cover by Claudine Mansour Design

Interior by ContentWorks, Inc.

Typeset in Goudy Old Style

Printed in the United States of America

MAL

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1992 (R1997).

I honor every mom who has found her way to recovery.

May your life be all that you dream, because you do deserve it!

I celebrate every child who has a mom in recovery.

May your life be happy and healthy.

I pray for every mom who is still out there.

May you find your way to healing.

You've heard the saying, It takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to write a book. I am blessed to have a village that offers consistent expertise, support, and love.

Thank you to Jan Johnson, my publisher at Conari Press, who posed the question, Barbara, do you have another book in you for moms in recovery? I answered, Yes, Jan, I do. And that was the beginning of this book. Thank you for trusting me to become the weaver of many strands. Thank you for the opportunity to create another book for moms in recovery. While there are too many to list by name, thank you to every member of your staff on both the West and East coasts. Each of you are exceptional in what you do. I am forever grateful to be the recipient of your expertise, guidance, sense of humor, and open hearts.

Thank you to the many professionals who invited the moms they serve to be interviewed for this book. A special thanks to Judy Murphy for the outreach she provided, which spanned the Midwest to the Bronx.

A special thank you to Steve Maraboli for sharing his poem, Dare to Be. Your words of inspiration and encouragement were a perfect way to bring this book to a close.