Authentic Truths in Addiction: Recent Episodes
Lisa Wenninger
One mother’s unique story, one similar story of millions, millions of lives lost. This is the raw truth of how addiction impacts one person who uses and those who watch the destruction unfold.
Taken directly from her personal writing, each episode walks the journey of substance use from a perspective of intense pain, frustration, and deep desire for intervention, recovery, and life!
Subscribe and follow the path that's still unknown. New episodes premiere every Tuesday and Friday. Also available on YouTube. www.authentictruths.com
“Let Go and Let God” I never thought this would a phrase of controversy. We use it every day in life challenges. So, why is it a problem to apply to how we approach living with a child in addiction? Follow me on social media on Facebook @AuthenticTruths or visit my website at www.authentictruths.com
Ahhh.. bitterness. Resentment we hold onto against people or situations that rob our peace. (If we allow it) It took me months to work through this round, but I’ve made it to the other side, and you will too. Follow me on Facebook: @authentictruths visit my website for more encouragement and truth: www.authentictruths.com. Reach out, share your thoughts, free yourself! #addiction #recovery #life #selfcare #mentalwellness #christian #parenting
The fight will rage on between holding on and letting go. But there is always a point of desperation when things turn and surrender becomes inevitable. Journey through me from point A to Z- on a road we never imagined we’d be in and a situation that takes every ounce of your will power to surrender. Follow he in Facebook @AuthenticTruths and read more of my story at www.authentictruths.com. Subscribe and leave a comment, and don’t forget to share! #addiction #recovery #detox #treatment #parenting #hope #faith #Jesus #substanceuse #rehab
The journey from holding on so tight out of fear to letting go out of love- for you. The challenge of letting them make their decisions and accepting you have no control. Visit www.authentictruths.com for more experiences of a parent of a loved one in addiction. #spokenword #poetry #addiction #parenting #recovery #hope
For all those who battled cancer valiantly and found victory on the other side. Visit www.authentictruths.com for more. Take care of one another and be kind. #poetry #spokenword
I took part in a writing prompt recently that asked me to do one thing, write a letter to myself at 100. Being in the middle of such a difficult time with a prodigal, I often forget to look beyond the next few moments. And I forget the joy that has existed in my past. This exercise gave me the opportunity to do both. There is more to my life than just addiction even though it confronts me every day. I just want other parents to look around and see beyond their situation as well. Follow me here on YouTube, and head over to Facebook and find me at @authentictruths. You can visit my website at www.authentictruths.com for more on my journey. Thank you for being here today!
This episode is a reflection back to the time just before I began my recovery. There is anger, bitterness, pain, acceptance, and resolve here. I began to confront some hard truth within myself, and it was HARD! If you’re in that place, know you are not alone. If you need support as you begin a recovery from an addiction you never had, reach out! I’m here. Visit me at www.authentictruths.com or on Facebook @AuthenticTruths. We can get through this- together! ♥️Lisa
Recovery is possible! I will never doubt that. Our minds are stronger than any addiction, even substance use. The brain can be healed by new mind sets and thought patterns. Are you willing to do the work and be your own boss! Visit my website at www.authentictruths.com and follow along on Facebook @AuthenticTruths. #addiction #recovery #mentalhealthawareness #mindset #hope #mentalhealth
There is tension between living in faith and the overwhelming fear that is inevitable when it comes to family addiction, especially when it’s your child. I need Jesus! I could not manage or navigate this heart breaking journey without His love and care. If you are lost watching your loved one battling substance use, please take a great minutes to remember 1) You’re not alone. 2) God has your back far better than anyone else 3) Peace is possible through Christ Jesus. Visit my website at www.authentictruths.com for more on parenting through addiction.
Those living in addiction are alive but they’re not LIVING! Are you? This is a harsh truth. It’s not easy to go on with life when they’re stuck fighting chronic substance use. You have to choose hire you’ll spend your days and time. You’re worth living! Visit me at www.authentictruths.com and follow along on Facebook @authentictruths
Navigating addiction as a family is hard stuff. Yet, families are often judged by what they do or don’t do In handing these messy situations. If they do too much, they’re enabling. If they don’t do enough, they aren’t loving their family member enough. It’s exhausting. The truth is- love is never in question. Visit my website at www.authentictruths.com for more info and thank you!
This Christian momma is tired- but here sits another experience in the travels of addiction. I learned it can’t be me, I can’t save, fix, or carry the weight of an addiction I don’t have. #addiction #recovery #faith #Christian #parenting #hope
This is a short note about what a momma heart goes through to celebrate her beloved child receiving a Two Year recovery coin. Yes- RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE. Yes, it is amazing. People are choosing to live every single day! If you need encouragement or help, please contact me at lisa@authentictruths.com.
SHAME!! It paralyzed me with anxiety and took me down. Every parent I know with a loved one in addiction confronts this crushing feeling at some point. We can’t let it drown us. We can’t hide in the corner, afraid to confront the world. We will not allow society to blame us for the actions of others- even our children. Make today the day you say ENOUGH! It’s one piece of this mental wellness blocker that must be destroyed, forever! Visit www.authentictruths.com for more information and encouragement. Thank you for being here today! #mentalhealthawareness #addiction #recovery #hope #faith #soberliving #parenting
This podcast is a little different than the typical episode. Today I took part in what is called ‘Five Minute Friday’- A writing challenge that gives you a keyword that you are to take five minutes to write on. Today’s word was Become. I had nothing. But by the end of the day I was able to sit down for five minutes and write. The finished piece is a poem that talks about the aftermath of addiction.
God saves lives. Over and over, I watch Him perform miracles in the life of someone who often plays with death. You can visit www.authentictruths.com for more on the blog, book speaking engagements, or contact me at Lisa@authentictruths.com #addiction #recovery #hope #faith #Christian
This episode talks about realizing nothing you say helps, nothing you do changes things. It reflects on that moment you begin to emotionally sink. Visit www.authentictruths.com for more. Follow on Facebook at Authentic Truths in Addiction.
If you’re struggling to move out of their addiction, start with these few steps! You deserve peace and freedom, but it so take work to get there.
One day, you wake up to a child you don’t know. A person who no longer lives outside of addiction. Your reflection screams at you, “What have you done?”… Every parent with a child in addiction wonders what they did wrong. There are no perfect- let me share my failures and successes.
Today’s quick reflection talks about letting go versus giving up. What do the two phrases mean? Do the words matter? Welcome to Authentic Truths in Addiction with me, Lisa Wenninger. This podcast is a journey through the life of addiction from the perspective of a mother. My hope is to bring awareness to this difficult topic. We are in the fight for our lives against addiction and it is time to speak out and unwrap the stigma and judgment. For me, this has been an eye-opening experience in knowledge, faith, and ability to love through the most trying times. I’ve learned new boundaries and how to love others where they are. I hope this can help others do the same. Visit www.authentictruths.com for more information, blog, or to book speaking engagements. Thank you.
This episode talks about the journey through addiction and the behavior changes that come with it. Do we call sin sin in addiction? Are we afraid to offend? Why? People deal with sin every day, in every setting. There is no judgment here- I Promise! Just some basic insight from experience and the truth. Visit www.authentictruths.com to read more on “Their Addiction~My Journey.”
A talk about the real challenge of staying hopeful against the raw reality of family addiction. Welcome to Authentic Truths in Addiction with me, Lisa Wenninger. This podcast is a journey through the life of addiction from the perspective of a mother. My hope is to bring awareness to this difficult topic. We are in the fight for our lives against addiction and it is time to come out of the closet and speak out for those we love most. For me, this has been an eye-opening experience in knowledge, faith, and ability to love through the most trying times. I’ve learned new boundaries and how to love others where they are. I hope this can help others do the same. For more on the topic of family addiction, visit www.authentictruths.com
Do you relate to any of this? We are parents gathered in a common nightmare- a loved one suffering from chronic substance use. Welcome to Authentic Truths in Addiction with me, Lisa Wenninger. This podcast is a journey through the life of addiction from the perspective of a mother. My hope is to bring awareness to this difficult topic. We are in the fight for our lives against addiction and it is time to come out of the closet and speak out for those we love most. For me, this has been an eye-opening experience in knowledge, faith, and ability to love through the most trying times. I’ve learned new boundaries and how to love others where they are. I hope this can help others do the same. Visit www.authentictruths.com for more insight into my journey and what I’ve learned along the way.
In today’s society, people reject prayer. We hear it often, “We don’t want your prayers!” But you don’t get to tell me what to do with my prayer life, not when an evil murderer attacks innocent people with his weapon of choice, not when my heart breaks at family addiction, not ever. I will pray. I will stand in the gap for a lost society who needs it more than anything. I will pray until my last breath! We need it now more than ever. And through this torment of addiction- I most definitely will pray.
Welcome to Authentic Truths in Addiction with me, Lisa Wenninger. This podcast is a journey through the life of addiction from the perspective of a mother. And this episode talks about being the person people call when they don’t understand your loved one or what’s going in their life. My hope is to bring awareness to this difficult topic. We are in the fight for our lives against addiction and it is time to come out of the closet and speak out for those we love most. For me, this has been an eye-opening experience in knowledge, faith, and ability to love through the most trying times. I’ve learned new boundaries and how to love others where they are. I hope this can help others do the same. Let’s go. www.authentictruths.com #addiction #recovery #selfcare #love #faith
An emotional encounter in prayer, hope, faith, and truth. Recording could not stop the tears from falling. This podcast is a journey through the life of addiction from the perspective of a mother. My hope is to bring awareness to this difficult topic. We are in the fight for our lives against addiction for our children. I will not be anonymous- but chose to be seen and heard. For me, this has been an eye-opening experience in knowledge, faith, and ability to love through the most trying times. I’ve learned living boundaries and how to love others where they are. I hope this can help others do the same. Let’s go. If you, or someone you know needs help, please call the addiction helplines to speak with a treatment specialist today. Addiction Hotline: (833)330.2874 Addiction Helpline: (866)927.3810 www.authentictruths.com
It is a grief like no other. Living grief never has an opportunity to say goodbye, because it is a tragedy within ‘active addiction.’ Hello, this is Lisa and welcome to Authentic Truths. Thank you for joking me today. This episode comes to you with a focus on our personal mental wellness. Walking through life difficulties, such as addiction, loss, abuse, we find ourselves going through different emotions and feelings. Often people are dealing with depression or anxiety and worry and fear brings them deeper into these episodes. But we don’t have to live there. We don’t have to live as prisoners to what we have experienced in our past. Many people have overcome these obstacles and I know you can too. Freedom is yours. Visit my website, www.authentictruths.com for more stories and information from my journey through family addiction.
Mother's Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving- why do holidays fall apart around addiction? How do we reclaim this time of gathering for good memories and not bad? Is it possible to do? What does this journey look like and what are the side effects of addiction? Family irregularities, health issues, mental health issues and on and on. Parents carry the pain of living grief daily. Here is a look into one of those days.
Subscribe and follow the path that's still unknown. New episodes premiere every Tuesday and Friday. Also available on YouTube.
www.authentictruths.com
..”I allowed myself to die before I am dead.”.. This is the raw truth of being done. Finding yourself at a place of hopelessness and fighting for the will to carry on. Addiction is a tough road for those living it- the person struggling with substance use, and family who loves them. Thank you for being here today! You can find more at www. authentictruths.com, including social media links and contact info. If you’re a parent of a loved one fighting addiction and need help, please reach out! You don’t have to do this alone. If you’re a person trying to overcome substance use, don’t give up! I know you can do this. If you need support, reach out! Fight! Today is your day!
Hello this is Lisa and welcome to Authentic Truths. Thank you for joining me today. This episode is about the unfamiliar space between the empty nest and raising grandchildren. I reflect on the challenge of letting go and moving in a purpose I never saw coming. Visit www.authentictruths.com for more stories in this journey or to contact me. Have a blessed day!
Hello this is Lisa and welcome to Authentic Truths. Thank you for joining me today. This episode comes to you with a focus on our personal mental wellness. Walking through life difficulties, such as addiction, loss, abuse, we find ourselves going through different emotions and feelings. Often people are dealing with depression or anxiety and worry and fear brings them deeper into these episodes. But we don’t have to live there. We don’t have to live as prisoners to what we have experienced in our past. Many people have overcome these obstacles and I know you can too. Freedom is yours.
Welcome to Authentic Truths in Addiction with me, Lisa Wenninger. This podcast is a journey through the life of addiction from the perspective of a mother. My hope is to bring awareness to this difficult topic. We are in the fight for our lives against addiction and it is time to come out of the closet and speak out for those we love most. For me, this has been an eye-opening experience in knowledge, faith, and ability to love through the most trying times. I’ve learned new boundaries and how to love others where they are. I hope this can help others do the same. Let’s go.
Welcome to Authentic Truths in Addiction with me, Lisa Wenninger. This podcast is a journey through the life of addiction from the perspective of a mother. My hope is to bring awareness to this difficult topic. We are in the fight for our lives against addiction and it is time to come out of the closet and speak out for those we love most. For me, this has been an eye-opening experience in knowledge, faith, and ability to love through the most trying times.
I’ve learned new boundaries and how to love others where they are. I hope this can help others do the same.
Today's episode is self-explanatory in content- but unique to my personal journey. Have you had to change how you dealt with your loved one's addiction and the impact it had on your life? Do you feel misunderstood in your decisions? You are not alone.
If you need support due to the challenges surrounding substance use, reach out to me at lisa@authentictruths.com. For more info on my story, and additional contact information, you can visit: www.authentictruths.com. Follow me on Facebook at Parent Addict Connection - PAC | Facebook
We know it’s a hard task to stand beside us, we know it isn’t easy to continue to listen to the same stories, but we appreciate you! If you are struggling through the addiction of a loved one, I invite you to become a regular listener to Authentic Truths in Addiction and join me on Facebook at Parent Addict Connection. This is a new podcast, so if you’d like to read more, visit www.authentictruths.com where you will find my full website, contact info, speaking availability, and blog. Thank you and welcome.
As a parent of children battling addiction for over a decade, I understand the tremendous pain and difficulty we experience. I have been from one end to the other in addiction behaviors. Their choices and consequences have led to the guardianship of grandkids, legal issues, homelessness, and different dangerous situations. Yet, we have witnessed and taken part in sobriety, relapse, and recovery.
One mother in the misfire of a battle to save her child’s life. One moment, one experience, one question that haunts me to this day. Journey along a glimpse of addiction on one of the worst days of my life.
Watching this battle is consuming. From overdose to loss of relationships, children, jobs, homes, parents witness so much. It is accepting our powerless nature in a war we are not in that is a challenge. It feels like it’s our war because it’s our child. It’s not. We want to save them, but we are not their life raft.
You are loved. In your mess, in your darkest moment, in your sin. You are loved and wanted. This episode talks about sin and our redemption- it talks about never being so far from God that He can't reach you. Addiction is powerful, I get it, but it still doesn't touch the power of God. So, give me a moment to explain why God loves people like you.
Today's episode is a discussion of lost faith in the battle of recurrent trauma caused by addiction. Realigning our hope and heart with God and letting go can ignite our faith even though the situation doesn't change. Living in peace through the warzone of addiction is possible when we hold on to Jesus and let go of the world.
Co-dependency is hard to distinguish for parents. What we see as normal parenting can become something we need to feel worthy and to function. Fear from addiction leads us to become people pleasers who lack proper boundaries and want to fix our loved ones. Without realizing it, we follow our children into their addiction and become dependent on bailing them out of multiple situations. In becoming co-dependent, we tend to lose ourselves to an addiction we never had. Breaking this cycle will allow your children to endure their consequences and release them to gain self-dependence (not always in positive ways but separate from you.) The hope is that eventual growth will lead our loved ones into recovery, independence, confidence, and the ability to cope and handle their lives and emotions outside of addiction.
I head back to a day when my son was still in the grips of his addiction and what that looked like- the odd behavior, the confusing talks, the constant motion from his high. We are so thankful that the 'guy we used to know' has returned, and is living well in his recovery today!
When it feels like the cycle of addiction will never end, we may find ourselves locked in an illness we don't have. We pray our loved ones into healing and wholeness, only to find we are the one broken. This episode discusses the importance of boundaries within a parent's recovery plan.
They asked if I had any prayer requests today. So, I answered,
“Please pray for my daughter. It is hard to wake up every day wondering if she is alive.”
One mother’s unique story, one similar story of millions, millions of lives lost. This is the raw truth of how addiction impacts one person who uses and those who watch the destruction unfold.
Taken directly from her personal writing, each episode walks the journey of substance use from a perspective of intense pain, frustration, and deep desire for intervention, recovery, and life!
Subscribe and follow the path unknown. New episodes premiere every Tuesday and Friday. www.authentictruths.com