In this episode of The Art of Imperfect Adulting, Amy Stone speaks with Lisa Smith about her experience as a parent loving and supporting a son navigating substance use disorder and mental health challenges. Lisa opens up about the heartache, resilience, and hard-earned wisdom that comes from shifting from “fixing” to genuinely “loving” someone in active addiction. Together, Amy and Lisa dive into the realities of family stress, the limits of traditional support systems, and the power of radical acceptance and connection. About the Guest: Lisa Smith is the founder and CEO of Parallel Recovery, an organization providing comprehensive family recovery support for those impacted by substance use and mental health disorders. As a certified Peer Recovery Specialist with over 20 years of experience in education and family systems, Lisa brings deep expertise to her work empowering families on the parallel healing journey alongside loved ones. Main Topics Covered: Parenting a young adult in active addiction: shifting roles, boundaries, and hopes The difference between “fixing” versus “loving” a child in crisis The shortcomings of traditional support resources and the concept of “detaching with love” Family systems, shame, and societal stigma when a loved one struggles with substance use Building sustainability, resilience, and connection through radical acceptance and self-reflection Practical communication strategies and the limits of advice versus lived experience Lisa’s creation of Parallel Recovery and the release of her new book Timestamps: [00:00:04] Welcome & Lisa’s life in Colorado [00:00:51] Transitioning from busy to downtime: walking dogs (without the phone!) [00:01:47] Lisa’s relationship with her son and the realities of substance use [00:06:27] Diagnosis, home dynamics, and early treatment attempts [00:08:10] Family stress and the myth of “lowering the temperature” [00:09:35] The “gut check” moment and finding clarity as a parent [00:12:52] Radical acceptance and learning to step back [00:14:37] The difference between “fixing” and “loving” in family conversations [00:18:19] Searching for resources and the problems with “detachment with love” [00:25:10] Internal work, research, and shifting the family system [00:31:27] The lack of support for families in the crisis cycle [00:35:06] Shame, societal judgment, and learning to separate behavior from identity [00:43:52] Lisa’s support philosophy, Parallel Recovery, and her new book [00:47:10] Knitting, cheese platters, and fun wrap-up questions Connect with the Guest: Website: https://parallelrecovery.com Instagram: @parallelrecovery Find Lisa’s Book, Parallel Recovery: A Guide for Those Who Love Someone with Substance Use Disorder, is now available on Amazon. https://a.co/d/fgmD9Vn If you love the show and you'd like to support it directly you can tip the host here https://imperfect-adulting.captivate.fm/support Never Miss a Moment of Imperfect Adulting We invite you to join our email community and let us bring the podcast directly to you! As a subscriber, you'll receive notifications about new episodes, exclusive offers from our amazing guests, and easier access to any of the important links mentioned on the show—no more scrambling to write down websites or remember special codes. Why...
