Lies, Damned Lies, and Addiction We've all been there - those of us who've danced with addiction, that is. The lies. Oh, the glorious, ridiculous, mind-boggling lies we tell ourselves and others. I know I have. And as a counselor, I've seen some doozies. But why? Why do we spin these tangled webs? And what happens when we finally stop? The Great Con (Our Minds): Addiction is a master manipulator. It convinces us we're getting away with something, that we're smarter than everyone else. I mean, come on, who wouldn't believe these gems? "I don't have an addiction." (Sure, and I'm the Queen of England.) "I can stop anytime I want to." (Just you wait, I'll quit tomorrow. Or next week. Or never.) "It hasn't changed me at all." (You mean besides the constant lying, stealing, and ruining relationships?) "I'm not as bad as [insert name]." (The classic "addiction Olympics" - because bronze in self-destr...

My 10-year-old son looked up from his Legos, curiosity in his eyes. "Mom, what's meth?" My heart skipped a beat. Already? I thought. But I took a deep breath and remembered the promise I made when I got sober: honesty, no matter how hard. A few days later, my 9-year-old asked, "What does it feel like when you get high?" I hesitated, not wanting to glorify the experience. But I knew I had to be honest. "It's like a fake sense of happiness," I explained. "But it's not real, and it doesn't last. And it led to a lot of pain and problems." Recovery is a journey, not a destination. And when you're a parent, that journey includes a roadmap of tough conversations. My kids were little when I got sober, but now, as pre-teens, they're asking questions – about drugs, about the past, and about their father, who's still struggling with addiction. The Hypocrisy Factor It feels hypocritical lecturing your kids about drugs when you...