I just got the comments of the workshop, “Mother’s and Others Who Love an Addict” I presented at the 21st Annual Growing Through Loss Conference in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Friday, February 5th. They are always interesting and run the gambit from excellent to poor and all points in between. It looks as if there are about 40 attendees evaluating and commenting. Several mentioned that I was soft-spoken and hard to hear, yet the monitor in the back of the room did not signal me to do anything different. They did not have a mike to attach to my collar. Then, there was a comment “how to deal with the loss of a child to addiction, not death” and I was not speaking about death, although fatal overdose and suicide are common. What did he or she hear?
Then there is “excellent,” “bring her back,” “excellent sharing,” “very dull,” and “good information.” There is “dry, no new information” and “has very ‘old’ views on drug and alcohol abuse.”
Primary message: Love the addict, hate the addiction and do not make excuses or spend money keeping the addict out of jail. That son or daughter (the addict) must face the consequences of his or her actions, but the love does not stop.
What now? After having over 50 people come to me from the conference, I must be doing something right. I will try to be a better speaker and see what other information I can use.
Until next time,
Alice
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