Without Shame: The Addict's Mom and Her Family Share Their Stories of Pain and Healing

by Barbara Theodosiou

Barbara Theodosiou and her family reveal the pain, loss, and connection that emerge from addiction, trauma, codependency, and recovery in this unique view into the heart of a national crisis.The ringing phone startles Barbara during another sleepless night. She knows it must be Daniel, her big-hearted, intelligent son who has spent years cycling through hospitals, jails, and treatment centers. Although Daniel’s childhood struggles started much earlier, he was sixteen when Barbara discovered he was horribly addicted to DXM, the drug found in many over-the-counter cough medicines. After picking up the pieces from one more of her son’s relapses, Barbara seeks support in the online refuge she created when she had nowhere else to The Addict’s Mom. There, she can “Share Without Shame” with others who understand. These other mothers know that it can become normal to hope your son will be locked up so he isn’t sleeping on the street. These other moms understand how it feels to realize you have not just one addicted child but two--Barbara discovered her oldest son Peter’s addiction just six months after Daniel’s. And when that happens, sometimes all a mother can do is try to save herself. But this isn’t just a mother’s story. Without Shame encompasses Daniel’s own poetry and prose, Peter’s story of healing against all odds, their sister Nicole’s story of balancing compassion and independence, and other often unheard voices. This multifaceted story reveals what it truly means to describe addiction as a family disease.

161 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 25, 2020

Reviews

[Regina Chari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without Shame was a difficult book to read. It is well written and the different voices are pulled together in a skilled way that allows the readers attention to focus on the story being told.

And that story is the story of all addicts: heartbreak, pain, disconnection. The story of addiction and codependency and the path through the darkness, that if you are lucky will lead to recovery.

Barbara shares her family's personal experience through her son's addiction. This experience is honest, raw and full of vulnerability.

I highly recommend this book for any parent who has a child struggling with addiction. I also recommend this book for anyone who wants to have a better understanding of addiction. If you are wondering if it's possible to help your loved one recover, Barbara is the wise sage you want guiding you along the path.

The publisher provided an ARC through Netgalley. I have voluntarily read this book for review, giving my honest personal opinions and thoughts.

[Debra Racine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got to read!!!

Can’t get any closer to the life I have been living with my children. Now I realize where and why there is TAM, how it can give me the support I need and this book shows me that I’m not the only one fighting for my children.
Thank you so much for all the resources at the end of the book. It will be something I will use. God bless you and your family, I hope he gives me the strength you have to just keep myself from giving up on my AC.
Love Debra Pluchak

[Christina Marie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no way to describe this book other than heartbreaking. Addiction is so widespread in America that almost everyone has a friend or a family member who struggles with it. This is a must read for those who are struggling just to hold themselves together as they desperately try to rescue those they love who live with an addiction.

[Vanessa Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read for me. It really digs deep into how addiction can affect families as a whole. The personal entries of each family member, poems and journal entries by their sons who are addicts and so on shows the reality of addiction and how it affects everyone in the family. Being an alcoholic myself and in recovery and also the fact that my boyfriends a heroin addict in recovery, this book really hit home for me. I recommend this book for anyone who is trying to understand addiction and what it does to families. If you are an addict or in recovery and want to read something you relate to, this is the book for you!