# The Strong Parent

June 18, 2025 by Dave Cooke 4 Comments

If we allow our child’s addiction to destroy our lives, we will have nothing to offer them when they need us most, and we will have failed them as parents. We must be strong for ourselves first and find strength, hope, clarity, and opportunity in following that path.

#### Programs for the Loved Ones of those Battling Addictions

##### Are you looking to better understand the struggles of addiction in the family?

##### Are you looking for powerful insights into dealing with the issues of addiction that are permeating all aspects of society?

Dave Cooke has the answers to your questions and concerns, and he is hungry to share them with you.
In fact, it is his life’s mission. Dave Cooke is the father of a son addicted to heroin. Like you, he suddenly found himself thrust into a state of confusion, heartache, and despair. And like all parents of addicts, he scrambled to find solid ground when addiction turned his world upside down.
In the process, he has developed several presentations for family members and concerned communities to learn more about the issue of addiction in our society. An internationally recognized speaker, Dave’s biblically driven presentations inspire with energy, commitment, and real solutions for troubled parents and a concerned community. “Thought-provoking” and “powerful” are just two of the descriptions his audiences often apply to his talks. Book Dave for your next event!

### Comments

1. Tracey Shaw says

   June 18, 2025 at 8:46 am

   Thank you. I would like to hear more of your lectures. Im the mother of 2 addict children and was at a, very dark place 6 months ago until I joined a Nar Anon group and began “my steps”. I look for answers and seek out anything I can to help me get stronger. I never want to feel that way ever again. Again, thank you.

   Reply

   - Dave Cooke says

     June 18, 2025 at 9:09 am

     Thank you, Tracey. Once we start our own successful recovery, going backward is never desired. I encourage everyone I share my experiences with to make quiet time for themselves every single day. It does not need to be a bike ride, but it does need to be a place where you get off the grid, get quiet, and allow your thoughts, feelings, and struggles to organize themselves. Do this every day, for yourself, and you will be better for it. Onward!

     Reply

2. Pam says

   June 18, 2025 at 9:56 am

   Thank you. I host Time to Heal Recovery Talk TV Show in Boise, Idaho. I am having a few people from Al-Anon come on the show in a few weeks to share their story, as one man recently had a son overdose on drugs. I have been sober for over 34 years, as a parent of three children I have tried to get all my children off drugs with no avail. My oldest son is drinking himself to death.. Even, with my education and knowledge of Al-Anon, I still enabled my son’s. I realized that going to Al-Anon was not to save my children but to save my sanity. Thank you very much for the work you are doing to help families.

   Reply

3. Anna says

   June 19, 2025 at 9:35 am

   I have had to deal with this a cpl yrs back and I was not sure I was doing it right but I gave everything I could to save my daughter , she had a baby and I took guardianship of my grand baby during this time. Not a day goes by when you dont worry if your going to get a phone call saying your child was found dead. My daughter was addicted to heroin, crack, cocaine. ect she called herself a junkie anything she could find she would do. Luckily she had a charge against her for having a needle in her car. I used the system to have her found when she had a warrant and turned her in to dry her out in jail. She finally gave in to trying to do what the courts ordered, but slipped a few times and was back in jail. She would take my credit cards, steal stuff ect… I looked at it this way if she died I and I had closed my door to her during this time I would of regretted not giving everything I could to save her. I was doing it now while I still had a chance to give anything I could to save her life. She was seeing things , feeling things, she was sick with hep c and her liver was not doing good at this time. I tried to have her committed but the hospital said she was fine. She knew how to fool them. She would run off and chase voices that were not there. She is my oldest out of 6 children, she went into my job asking for money , talking crazy to my boss. I was missing work cause the grand baby at 10 months old was always getting sick at day care, she was not used to it. After 5 yrs of working with hardly any time off or every calling in sick I got a warning letter from my boss. I finally quit my job to focus on the baby and my daughter and 5 other children at home. Both are doing fine now its been 2 yrs since all of this happened and it took us over a yr to get there. We found a treatment center for both mom and baby. Mom was there for 3 months then baby went after that. I think the hardest thing was finding a treatment center that wasn’t full were we live or had a waiting list. Waiting only caused her to slip back to drugs. So hang in there for all of you who are going through hell with your child don’t give up. I tried to get my job back but only heard rude comments about how they have had the same issues but are still working, I was not hired back. Not all situations are the same. If I had I would of chained her to the bed until she dried out. This world of were you have to voluntarily commit makes it hard when your child is only 18. When the court ordered it was a lot faster. We did have the baby and that was Gods blessing to my daughter and it saved her life, she had a reason to get better. I do believe most addicts have a depression problem , and our suicidal. They dont care if it kills them. Thank You for all your doing.

   Reply

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