A Resource for FamiliesA Resource for Families
Horizon Heart to Heart
Christina Pearl talks with Colleen Babcock about how her experience as a parent led to a dedicated role supporting families affected by addiction. The conversation focuses on early intervention, family education, setting boundaries and the many resources available to help loved ones work through substance use issues.
0:00•7 Apr 2020
A Resource for Families: How One Mum Turned Crisis into Support for Thousands
Episode Overview
- Addiction is described as a family disease, and involving the whole family in education and support can improve the chances of long-term recovery.
- Parents are urged to take early signs of substance use seriously and impose clear consequences at home instead of waiting for a young person to “outgrow it”.
- Today’s drugs, including high-potency cannabis, prescription opioids and Xanax, are highlighted as far more dangerous and easier to hide than many parents realise.
- Family members are encouraged to seek their own support through groups or one-to-one conversations so they can help from a healthy, informed place rather than through enabling.
- There is repeated emphasis that help is widely available, that every journey is different, and that even with relapse risk, any healthy time with a loved one in recovery is a gift.
“Addiction is a family disease, and if the whole family isn’t treated, then the chances of long-term recovery diminish.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol and other drugs when the whole family is caught in the middle? This conversation with Parent and Family Support Coordinator Colleen Babcock gives a clear, honest look at what that really feels like for parents. Colleen shares how her role at Horizon grew out of her own experience with her son’s addiction.
She talks openly about arriving at Horizon believing her son’s behaviour was “just a phase” and then learning, through education and support, that “it wasn’t about choice. Nobody wakes up in the morning and says this is where I want to end up.” That shift in understanding became the spark for a job focused solely on helping parents, families and friends.
You’ll hear how most people reach out in crisis, often minimising what’s going on – “it’s just marijuana” or “it only happened once or twice” – and how, with gentle questions, deeper patterns like lying, stealing and repeated incidents begin to surface. Colleen talks about the reality of today’s substances, from highly potent cannabis to prescription opioids and Xanax “school buses”, and why early intervention gives young people a better shot at long-term recovery.
The episode also spends time on the emotional side for families: fear, denial, and the way love can slide into enabling. Colleen stresses consequences at home, staying involved in treatment, and getting support for yourself through one-to-one conversations or monthly groups. She reminds parents that addiction affects the whole family, and that educated, healthy involvement boosts the chances of recovery, even in a chronic, relapsing condition.
If you’re a parent or loved one wondering whether what you’re seeing is “just a phase” or something more, this conversation might help you feel less alone and more prepared to take the next step. What small action could you take today to get a bit more support or information?
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