Family recovery course Before you start

A few things to know before we begin.

You're here because someone you love is using, and it's costing you. That's real, and what you're about to do is real work. Before you begin, take five minutes with this page. It's short. It matters.

5 minutes Read once · Come back any time

First, set expectations

This is a map. It isn't the terrain.

A course can give you language, skills, and frames. It can't give you a therapist, a sponsor, or a person who will pick up at 2 a.m. You'll still need those. Nothing here replaces them.

What this course is

Fifteen short sessions grounded in CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) — the most-researched family approach to substance use disorder — plus the practical skills and language families of a loved one with SUD actually need.

What it isn't

It isn't therapy, and it isn't a substitute for professional care. It won't diagnose you or your person. It won't make them stop. It won't fix a relationship by itself.

Who it's for

Adult family members — parents, partners, adult children, siblings — who are safe enough, and steady enough, to do reflective work at their own pace.

If any of this is you

This course isn't your first step.

It will still be here later. But right now, a person — not a page — is what you need. These are the calls to make first. Every one of them is free. Every one is confidential. None of them will force anything to happen.

You're in immediate danger

If someone in your home is hurting you, threatening you, or controlling what you can do or spend or say — this course is not your first step.

Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.

You've been thinking about not being here

Families carrying addiction grief often think about suicide. It's more common than people talk about. It still needs attention — not a worksheet.

Call or text 988. Then come back when you're steadier.

Your person is in medical crisis

Overdose, withdrawal seizures, suicidal statements, psychosis, or an injury they won't explain. These are emergencies.

Call 911. If opioids are involved, give naloxone (Narcan) if you have it.

Children are at risk

If a child in the home isn't safe — physically, or because the adult caring for them is using and can't respond — that is a different problem than the one this course solves.

Call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453. In most states, any adult can call.

Not sure which one applies? Call SAMHSA at 1-800-662-HELP. They'll help you figure out what's next.

Know the signs

Three things to recognize before they happen.

Families living close to addiction often know something is wrong long before they have words for it. These are the specific patterns worth learning to see, so you're not guessing in the moment it matters.

Overdose

Slow or stopped breathing · Blue or gray lips or fingertips · Gurgling or snoring sound · Limp body · Won't wake up when you shout or rub their chest.

If you see it: Call 911. Give naloxone. Roll them onto their side. Stay on the line.

Suicide risk

Talking about being a burden · Giving things away · Looking for a way to end their life · Saying goodbye · A sudden calm after a period of despair · Any direct statement, even a joke.

If you see it: Take it seriously. Ask directly. Call or text 988 together if you can.

Abuse or coercive control

Threats — spoken, or with objects, or with children · Controlling money or movement · Isolation from friends and family · Forced sex · The sense you're walking on eggshells.

If you see it: You don't have to decide to leave to get help. 1-800-799-7233 can help you think.

Ground rules, for you

How to do this course without it costing you more.

The work in these sessions is designed to be gentle. It's still work. Here's how to keep it sustainable.

Pace yourself.

You can do one session a week, one a month, or one and then nothing for a year. The course will wait.
You can stop any time.

If a session surfaces something that's too much — grief, rage, memory, fear — stop. Close the browser. Call someone. Come back later, or don't.
You don't have to apply every idea.

Some suggestions won't fit your situation. Some would be unsafe in your situation. Trust yourself. If a tool doesn't feel right, leave it.
This isn't a test.

There are no grades, no completion badges, no email if you disappear. The worksheets save on your own device. You control what happens with them.
Privacy, on shared devices.

If you're on a family computer, a work laptop, or a phone someone else can unlock — consider clearing your browser history and worksheet data before you close the tab.
Get a person, not just a course.

A course can teach. Only another human can sit with you on the hard nights. A therapist, a sponsor, a family coach, a peer group, one steady friend — find at least one.

When you're ready

Take the first session at your own pace.

Session 1 is Self-Care — putting your own mask on first. It's the session most families want to skip, and the one that makes every other session possible. Short, free, and honest.

I've read this — start session 1 Or talk to a coach — (833) 594-7146