100 Pedals

Recovery for Parents Dealing with Addiction in their Families

## The harsh reality of addiction is only a phone call away

January 30, 2026 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

“Dad, Brandon’s in jail.”

Nothing had prepared me much for that little bombshell. In this story, Brandon is my youngest son and was 21 at the time I got the call. That phone call was a significant life-altering experience. It was one of those moments that instantly delivered a life-changing disruption to my sense of normal. It caught me by surprise, it instantly interrupted my routines, and it started me on the road to a new round of experiences that nearly destroyed and very clearly transformed my life.

I knew Brandon was going through an issue with heroin. I didn’t really know what that meant. I had no idea at the time how powerful the word “addiction” is. I was clueless as to the difficulty Brandon was in. This was the beginning of a very long and incredible journey.

This is not a new story for the parents of addicted children. The more I meet, connect, and share with parents, the more I discover that we all have incredibly similar, painful, heartbreaking stories. The only component that really changes are the names of those involved and how the stories are told.

Fortunately for us, Brandon is still alive, currently living at home, and in recovery. There are far too many other wonderful parents who are grieving the passing of their child to the disease; or have children who are lost, simply wandering about the streets in pursuit of their next fix.

There is nothing about addiction that can be explained, understood, or easily fixed. There are no easy answers. There are only stories of hope, love, celebration and loss for the parents. It is in the exchange of these stories where solace and strength reside.

Even in Brandon’s recovery I catch myself worrying about the day “when.” It is not fair to him; but, I have been scarred by my experiences. I pray for his ongoing and continued success. It is not in my hands – it is in Brandon’s and God’s hands.

There are over 23 million people suffering from addiction. That is 23 million families that are going through some version of an addiction related experience. We are not alone. No one is immune. And, every family is a risk.

The key to our success in working through this issue to share, communicate, understand, and learn.

100Pedals was founded of the experiences of a dad looking to help himself and his son. I am here to collaborate with others as they go through similar battles. Together we will find the strength and the insight and the peace to carry-on!

Parents, if you need a friend, please let me know how I can help!

Filed Under: Addiction, Parenting & Addiction Tagged With: addiction, addiction and hope, addiction and love, addiction in your family, addiction resources, hope, inspiration, love, parenting, parenting addicts, the disease of addiction, understanding addiction

## Trust your path

January 28, 2026 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

“Trust that your path will unfold as you step into it.” ~ from the “Begin with Yes” Facebook page

The experience in my personal 100Pedals journey has taught me many things. Of all my lessons and experiences, nothing has been more clear or powerful than the notion associated with today’s quote.

We cannot plan our life, control our outcomes, or know exactly how everything will unfold before us. The key to our journey is simply finding a path and taking it. The rest of the journey will reveal itself as you go. Trust the path, trust the journey, and be at peace with the process.

Filed Under: Inspirational Perspectives Tagged With: Begin with Yes

## Happiness is not acquired, it is lived and celebrated!

January 27, 2026 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

“If happiness is dependent upon obtaining something you desire, you may get what you want; but, you will continually be in search of what is missing.”

I woke up with this thought about happiness already crafted in my head. It is scary when the brain delivers a good morning message with such a clear and concise philosophical directive. This shows my brain has been actively processing the past few weeks’ studies as I have been examining concepts around our quest for joy — which, for me, reflects the ultimate in peach and happiness.

When I get lost in the trivialities of the present, much of it is centered around something I desire, want, or believe I need. It can be a material gain or it can be the struggle to solve a problem for which I believe there has to be an immediate and concrete solution. The time and energy wasted worrying, craving, living in fear, or in perceived lack only blocks ones ability to live in peace, joy, and happiness. It focuses incredible time and effort on something that returns little positive energy even if the problem is solved or the possession acquired.

Making the problem go away does not mean there won’t be another similar issue. Obtaining the material gift does not eliminate the insatiable desire for more. Hence, the circle of negative force continues and works against us.

The key to peace, joy, happiness is celebrating, appreciating, and enjoying the present — who we are, what we have, and what we offer. If we look for them, it is not hard to discover lack, want, need, or pain in our lives. That is an obvious component of life if that is how we desire to live our life.

It is even more powerful, inspiring, and energizing to embrace our life for what it is — celebrating the incredible opportunities we are offered to use our intellect, our gifts, and our experiences to make a difference in those around us and in our own life.

Next time you find yourself trying to will a problem away or craving something, step back and smile. Give thanks for the gifts in your life — friends, family, talents, wisdom, and experience. Then, get moving and focus on celebrating what you have, who you are, and where you are going. I am quite confident you will be happier because of it.

Filed Under: Inspirational Perspectives, Live With Passion, Seizing Opportunity Tagged With: celebrating life, celebrating life's journey, celebration, finding peace, happiness, joy, living with joy, peace, positive energy

## The Dashed Hopes of an Addict’s Parent

January 20, 2026 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

> “When I held my little miracle in my arms for the very first time, I rubbed my cheek on his fuzzy head and whispered, ‘Joey, my beautiful son, I will love and protect you for as long as I live.’ I didn’t know then that my baby would become an addict before becoming an adult, or that the addict taking his place would shred the meaning of those words to smithereens.” ~ Sandy Swenson, Finding Joy on Your Journey

There are far too many stories of parents who suffer with the pain, fear, and loss of a child’s addiction. While 100Pedals has become a wonderful personal gift in my quest to regain control and clarity in my life in the midst of the chaos of addiction, there is never a time where I am totally at peace because of the constant presence of the addictive experience. No matter how wonderful my son’s life is at the time, I find myself wanting to celebrate his accomplishments and the wonderful progress he has made on his journey.

Interrupting that joy is the reality that it only takes one day of failed recovery that could trigger disaster — the call from jail, an arrest, a job loss, a trip to the ER. So perilous is the celebration of recovery that I find myself preparing for the pain when there is no hint of that possibility. Scarred by the past, aware of the possibilities, and prepared for the worst — what an awful way to live.

I continually learn to focus and find peace on what I can control and celebrate. I am getting better at it. I am becoming more accomplished for being pleased and proud at what my son has achieved over the past ninety days. While that is my commitment, my focus, and my objective — putting the painful, dark and oft repeated past behind me is a continued effort.

I do the best I can with what I have and with who I am. But, I am still a dad with high hopes, aspirations, and much love for all his children. It is hard to let go of the dark experiences as I become witness to one of them struggle to find peace, joy and happiness in their life. It is almost impossible to let go and not feel for their pain at every destructive step.

I have been inspired by the raw, honest perspectives of a mom sharing her similar journey. The struggle for joy in her journey reminds me that we are never alone in our battles — there is always somebody walking a similar path or willing to join us in the struggle.

If you are subscribing to these blogs for insight, inspiration, and guidance, I would encourage you to follow Sandy Swenson and her blog “Finding Joy on Your Journey.” You will read a see more of her story in my writings as I receive so much from everything she shares and you will too! Have a great week!

Filed Under: Addiction, Parenting, Parenting & Addiction Tagged With: addiction and parenting, addiction in your family, Finding joy on your journey, Love and addiction, parenting, parenting and addiction, Sandy Swenson

## What are you giving today?

January 13, 2026 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

“Anything we desire takes time, effort, energy, patience, consistency, and focus. Whatever activity required to get there must also include and reflect your commitment to making someone else’s life better as a result of the effort.”

I have only one opportunity in this life — to be the person that I have been called to be. I cannot measure my life’s activities by what I desire to accomplish so that I can be honored or praised. All that I desire — what drives me — is to live my life in honor, gratitude, and love for the gifts I have been given and for the opportunity provided for me to share and use these gifts as a resource to others.

> - When I focus on what I want, I get lost and frustrated by the outcome.
> - When I make a list of what I desire, I find myself falling short or merely wanting more.
> - When I ignore those searching for peace, joy or happiness, all I find is greater discontent in my life.
> - When I live in fear of loss or forfeiture, I find myself stuck while protecting those things that are holding me back.

This has been a huge transformation. Getting to this point has been very difficult and challenging. It is not easy to make a commitment that the most important person in the world is not me, but the person who is standing in front of me and looking for what I have to offer.

People looking for what we have to offer come into our lives every single day — sometimes many times a day. The problem is that many of us, me included, are so focused on what we want, what we desire, what we need, what we love, what we hate, what makes us comfortable that we cannot see the opportunity being our awesome selves offers us and others. Our accomplishments will not be measured by the monuments we build as a testament to our greatness, it will be defined by who we inspired, helped, guided, loved, educated and supported on our journey. Pursuit of the former only prevents celebration of the latter.

I am committed to bringing love and positive energy into this world on a daily basis. I am committed to:

- judging less and understanding more
- disrespecting no one and listening their story
- giving of myself first before I seek to obtain anything
- loving my neighbor even if he cannot or will not ever love me

There is peace in this commitment because it leaves me longing for nothing and offering everything. What are you willing to give?

Filed Under: Focusing On Your Vision, Giving Love, Living Your Purpose, Uncategorized Tagged With: celebrating your gifts, commitment, finding joy, giving love, happiness, joy, love, peace, sharing your gifts

## A note to my friend “The New Year”

January 1, 2026 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

Dear New Year,

It was three years ago today we kicked off an adventure now known as the 100Pedals 100Day Challenge. Little did either of us realize how powerful and impactful those bike rides would become. Nor could we have predicted how much transformational change occurred since that first 20.2 mile ride on your special day.

Honestly, you never meant that much to me. I have always thought your appearance, as reliable and predictable as it is, was nothing more than a poor excuse for people to take action in areas of their lives they could be or needed to be working on already. As they were usually pressured by your presence, and less by their own inspired commitment to change, their interest in following through disappeared all too quickly afterward.

Even though I generally do not participate in the tradition of resolutions and reflections, the anniversary of the initiation of my bike journey did get me thinking. I guess I have gotten sucked into some of the spirit of your day.

I do not know what this year will bring, offer, or result in. I know that there are many things in my life that need a higher level commitment to change, performance and focus. I know that the journey that officially or formally began three years ago is still in its infancy. I have a long ways to go, many things to accomplish, and a lot of love and light that needs to be shared.

Thanks, old friend, for showing up and reminding me to get busy. I am looking forward to seeing you again next year and am quite confident there will be some amazing stories to share.

Until then – love, peace, joy, happiness to all!!

Filed Under: Uncategorized