Mental Health, Substance Use, and the Power of Connection with Lisa Smith

In this episode of The Art of Imperfect Adulting, Amy Stone speaks with Lisa Smith about her experience as a parent loving and supporting a son navigating substance use disorder and mental health challenges. Lisa opens up about the heartache, resilience, and hard-earned wisdom that comes from shifting from “fixing” to genuinely “loving” someone in active addiction. Together, Amy and Lisa dive into the realities of family stress, the limits of traditional support systems, and the power of radical acceptance and connection.

About the Guest:

Lisa Smith is the founder and CEO of Parallel Recovery, an organization providing comprehensive family recovery support for those impacted by substance use and mental health disorders. As a certified Peer Recovery Specialist with over 20 years of experience in education and family systems, Lisa brings deep expertise to her work empowering families on the parallel healing journey alongside loved ones.

Main Topics Covered:

• Parenting a young adult in active addiction: shifting roles, boundaries, and hopes
• The difference between “fixing” versus “loving” a child in crisis
• The shortcomings of traditional support resources and the concept of “detaching with love”
• Family systems, shame, and societal stigma when a loved one struggles with substance use
• Building sustainability, resilience, and connection through radical acceptance and self-reflection
• Practical communication strategies and the limits of advice versus lived experience
• Lisa’s creation of Parallel Recovery and the release of her new book

Timestamps: [00:00:04] Welcome & Lisa’s life in Colorado

[00:00:51] Transitioning from busy to downtime: walking dogs (without the phone!)

[00:01:47] Lisa’s relationship with her son and the realities of substance use

[00:06:27] Diagnosis, home dynamics, and early treatment attempts

[00:08:10] Family stress and the myth of “lowering the temperature”

[00:09:35] The “gut check” moment and finding clarity as a parent

[00:12:52] Radical acceptance and learning to step back

[00:14:37] The difference between “fixing” and “loving” in family conversations

[00:18:19] Searching for resources and the problems with “detachment with love”

[00:25:10] Internal work, research, and shifting the family system

[00:31:27] The lack of support for families in the crisis cycle

[00:35:06] Shame, societal judgment, and learning to separate behavior from identity

[00:43:52] Lisa’s support philosophy, Parallel Recovery, and her new book

[00:47:10] Knitting, cheese platters, and fun wrap-up questions

Connect with the Guest:

Website: https://parallelrecovery.com

Instagram: @parallelrecovery

Find Lisa’s Book, Parallel Recovery: A Guide for Those Who Love Someone with Substance Use Disorder, is now available on Amazon. https://a.co/d/fgmD9Vn

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