HELP!... WHAT KIND OF HELP?HELP!... WHAT KIND OF HELP?
My Child & ADDICTION
Parents share candid stories of fear, denial and relief as they search for meaningful help for their children’s addiction, joined by Dr Steve Klein’s medical and recovery perspective. The conversation highlights the power of community, clear diagnosis and honest support in building hope for families.
55:17•10 Jul 2026
HELP!... WHAT KIND OF HELP? Parents, Pain and Finding Real Support
Episode Overview
- Recognising that addiction is a family disease helps parents understand their own fear, shame and guilt alongside their child’s struggles.
- Effective help often requires professionals who understand both mental health and addiction, rather than one or the other.
- Peer support through parent groups and fellowships like Al‑Anon gives relief, language and community that many families can’t find elsewhere.
- Parents learn they didn’t cause, can’t cure and can’t control addiction, but they can stop enabling and start seeking their own support.
- Viewing addiction as a medical disease opens doors to emerging treatments and reduces stigma, making it easier to ask for and receive help.
“I don't know why I come, but I feel better when I leave.”
Curious about how others manage the chaos of addiction in the family? This episode of *My Child & ADDICTION* centres on one big question: "HELP!... WHAT KIND OF HELP?" Parents trade raw, honest stories about trying to figure out what was wrong with their children and how to get the right support, while addiction medicine physician Dr Steve Klein brings a medical and personal recovery perspective. You’ll hear one father admit, "I still feel scared to death every day.
I don't know how to be a parent anymore," echoing the fear many parents feel as they watch their child spiral. Others describe the confusion of bouncing between psychologists, psychiatrists, ER visits and lockdown units before anyone connected the dots to addiction, and the shock of learning that mental health and substance use care often sit in separate silos.
Dr Klein explains how stigma and vague clinical language like “substance use disorder” can leave families lost, stressing that addiction is "truly a disease" that deserves proper medical interventions alongside spiritual and peer support. He shares his fascination with new treatments such as GLP‑1 receptor agonists for cravings, while also talking about the “energy exchange” in peer groups that science still can’t fully explain.
Parents talk frankly about denial — theirs and their children’s — and the painful realisation that love, control and clipboards full of instructions were never going to fix addiction. Support groups, Al‑Anon and parent meetings become their lifeline. One parent recalls hearing, "I don't know why I come, but I feel better when I leave," and using that as a guide until recovery language started to make sense.
Across the conversation runs a quiet but steady thread of hope: long‑term recoveries, families rebuilding, and parents learning that asking for help isn’t failure, it’s courage. If you’ve ever thought, "I have no idea where to start," this candid round‑table might be the company you’ve been looking for.
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