Lance M. Dodes, M.D.

Hi. I have read your book The Heart of Addiction and work with cilents in an IOP setting. I also see a young woman in my private practice who is struggling a great deal with her mother who is addicted to pain killers and alcohol and has been for much of her life. My client is now 25 and is starting to face the hard reality that she cannot "change" her mom. I was hoping that you might have some recommendations for readings that could help her. I very much subscribe to your model on addiction and would love to have a frame that supports that. Thank you!

Thanks for your message. I assume from your note that your patient is already familiar with the theory of addiction described in my first book. I’d think the most pertinent aspect for her is that addiction is a psychological symptom which arises within a person to manage internal issues, and therefore cannot be either caused or controlled by anyone else.
One other thought: Sometimes when young adults begin to accept their inability to change their parents it reflects healthy development out of (emotional) adolescence. Regardless of the nature of the parents' problems, this task may be the most important thing on which to focus.
Best,
Lance Dodes M.D.