Category Archives: blog

Camp Mariposa

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Claudia Black

I had a wonderful experience the last weekend in September when I attended Camp Mariposa here in Washington State. This is a camp for children affected by addiction in the family. This particular one was for younger kids age 9 – 12. A few years ago I… Continue reading →

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Women and Addiction: From Betty Ford to Amy Winehouse

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Claudia Black

In 1978, a year after she left the White House and at the time of her 60th birthday, the wife of President Gerald Ford, Betty Ford, found that her drinking and use of prescription pain medications had drastically increased. Soon after that she was the … Continue reading →

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Your Life’s Baggage: What are you carrying?

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Claudia Black

Think of your life journey as a trip. When people take a trip they think of where they are going, how they are going to get there and what it is they are going to take with them.I want you to think about the baggage you take with you on your life journ… Continue reading →

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Claudia Black 2011-02-11 18:58:00

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Claudia Black

February 13 is the beginning of Children of Alcoholics Week! This is a week to acknowledge and re-energize our commitment to the fact that one out of every four children is subject to alcoholism and other substance addictions within their families. Eve… Continue reading →

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Chronic Pain and Addiction: Its Impact on Families

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Claudia Black

I wrote this article with Dr. Mel Pohl, Medical Director of Las Vegas Recovery Center and author of numerous works on chronic pain and addiction. A version of this article appeared in the October 2010 edition of Counselor Magazine.Pain is universal and… Continue reading →

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Under the Influence: Kids of Alcoholics

Posted on November 12, 2010 by Claudia Black

Dear friends,
NACoA has been working over the past year on an important program about children of alcoholics (COAs) and featuring adolescent COAs. The program promises to be enlightening and moving not only for children and youth so desperately trying … Continue reading →

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Difficult Family Relationships

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Claudia Black

The struggle for so many recovering adults is how to interact with members of their childhood family — their parents and siblings. Cultural and family values influence the messages and feelings you received regarding family loyalty and commitment. Ty… Continue reading →

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Present Day Relationships

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Claudia Black

By creating healthier beliefs and developing new skills, you will create new ways of relating to family members with whom you were raised, and others you meet in your life — friends, co-workers, partners, husbands, wives, and children. You have choic… Continue reading →

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The Power of Secrets

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Claudia Black

Secrets are powerful because they can control you. Very often, the problem with a secret is not the content of the secret itself, but what you must do to keep the secret information out of sight. In a family, it is the proverbial skeleton in the closet… Continue reading →

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The Emotional Injury of Distorted Boundaries

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Claudia Black

Many times abandonment issues are fused with distorted, confused, or undefined personal boundaries. We experience abandonment when parents have a distorted sense of boundaries, their boundaries and ours. They want us to like what they like, dress like … Continue reading →

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