Parents in Recovery - by Sarah Allen Benton (Hardcover)

About the Book

Parents in Recovery is a guidebook for mothers and fathers navigating parenting with a sober lifestyle. Focal points include family systems, self-care, socializing and recovery pride. Each chapter integrates research, voices of parents and addiction treatment experts, parent r...

Book Synopsis

Parents in Recovery is a guidebook for mothers and fathers navigating parenting with a sober lifestyle. Focal points include family systems, self-care, socializing and recovery pride. Each chapter integrates research, voices of parents and addiction treatment experts, parent recovery wisdom suggestions and the author's past journal accounts.

Review Quotes

Parents in Recovery is a unique and 'real world' practical instructional guide that will prove invaluable for parents in addiction recovery wanting to right by their children (and grandchildren). Exceptionally informative, inspiring, motivating, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, Parents in Recovery is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition for personal, professional, community, counseling center, college and university library Parenting and Addiction Recovery collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Parents in Recovery: Navigating a Sober Family Lifestyle by Sarah Allen Benton is a beacon of hope and guidance for parents on the challenging yet rewarding path of recovery. Benton's insightful approach, enriched with real-life narratives and practical strategies, offers a roadmap for parents striving to maintain sobriety while nurturing their families. This book is a valuable resource that sheds light on parents' unique challenges in recovery and empowers them with the wisdom and tools needed to navigate these obstacles with resilience and grace. Benton's heartfelt storytelling and inclusive perspective make this book a must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and practical advice on the journey to sobriety and creating a fulfilling family life.

'Parenting is hard. Recovery is hard, ' says Benton. When you combine the two, the challenges multiply. For parents in recovery (PIRs), the process of recovery is so much more than just stopping drug and alcohol abuse. There are physical, psychological, social, and spiritual issues that carry over for years. Benton, who had seven years of recovery before she became a mother, knows the struggles firsthand. Addiction, by nature, drives the user inward; parenting, by nature, requires an outward focus. Benton interviews parents in various stages of recovery, sharing their personal stories.... She offers helpful suggestions from PIRs on the front line for social living while sober. Each chapter ends with excerpts from Benton's personal journals citing her personal journey. Parents facing these challenges will feel understood and supported.

Addiction is passed down (in part) from generation to generation, but so too is recovery. In Parents in Recovery Sarah Benton presents a roadmap for both reflection and practice for parents in recovery as well as those who love or work with them. In equal parts inspiring and instructional, Benton blends her own clinical expertise and personal recovery story with the voices of other recovering parents and experts. The result is a highly readable and encouraging guidebook that reminds us that while recovery isn't always easy, it is always worth it when families are at the center.

Mental health and drug and alcohol counselor Benton, who had already experienced seven years of recovery from an alcohol-use disorder before becoming a parent, wrote this guide to help parents and their families. This all-inclusive resource includes counsel for couples' relationships, work and life balance, self-care, and even career navigation. Her book shows that parenting and addiction recovery are both arduous, and removing a substance doesn't necessarily eliminate the behaviors that sparked and fueled the substance-use disorder. Benton asserts that a recovery lifestyle must be formed with a new pattern of beliefs and actions, allowing for ongoing growth which reduces the potential for relapse. Each chapter concludes with tips from other parents in recovery, and there are a few entries from the author's own journal as well. She views recovery as a time of reclaiming identity, and this book equips readers to find balance, handle mental health conditions, form long-term plans, and more. She also addresses feelings of shame and concerns about children inheriting the genetic components of substance-use disorder. This book is an essential resource that fills a gap in offerings for parents in recovery. It shows readers the necessity for self-compassion while guarding for vulnerabilities.

Recovery has been the gift that has allowed me to be present in my three children's lives, but navigating parenting as a person in recovery is complex and stressful. Sarah Allen Benton's book provides a beautiful and helpful guide to this very often experienced but rarely discussed segment of parents.

Sarah Allen Benton has written an excellent book to help fill a surprising gap in recovery literature: parents in recovery. As a man in long-term recovery and father of a teenager, it is refreshing to see so many wonderful nuggets of guidance for parents in recovery to help us navigate the interwoven journeys of recovery and being a loving and present parent. Incorporating extensive research, excerpts of interviews, and suggested skills for readers to incorporate into their lives, Benton has written a powerful book to help all parents in recovery enhance their journey doing 'the toughest job you'll ever love.'

Sarah Benton's newest book Parents in Recovery adds to the field by writing lessons garnered through lived experience and facts supported by research and data. Demystifying a field shrouded in mystery and misconception, Benton writes clearly about the nature of Substance Use Disorders, the recovery process, and the blessing of going deeply. Often seen as synonymous with giving up a substance or other behavior, Sarah Benton clarifies the nature of living in recovery. More than just a recovery book, it provides gentle guidance for parents that can benefit those in recovery...or not.

The greatest achievement of my life has been the honor and responsibility of being a sober father. Sobriety has allowed me to be fully present, accountable and vulnerable to the people that I love and treasure the most; my children, Chris Jr., Samantha and Drew. Heather and I are incredibly blessed to walk this journey together.

Sarah's book addresses every aspect of being a parent in recovery (PIR). Regardless of your recovery or parenting stage, Sarah offers a "first of its kind" navigation and motivational tool from the personal lens of Clinician, Educator and Parent. This is a book that you will keep and refer to again and again.

About the Author

Sarah Allen Benton is a licensed mental health counselor and advanced alcohol and drug counselor. She is co-owner of Benton Behavioral Health Consulting, LLC specializing in clinical and business support services. Sarah is a co-founder and chief clinical officer for Waterview Behavioral Health in Wallingford, CT and was also the former director of Clinical Services for Aware Recovery Care in North Haven, CT. Sarah has worked as a therapist and clinical consultant for various addiction treatment programs, practices, and start-ups. She also worked at McLean Hospital in their dual diagnosis transitional treatment program, Klarman Center for eating disorder treatment and the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute in Belmont, MA.