"You're Not Alone" started in 1999 as a forum of sharing and encouragement where ministry families could share their pain and pray with their peers in a confidential, compassionate environment. Transcripts of these conference presentations have been consolidated and arranged by topic, as follows:

• Living With The Pain Of An Addicted Child
• Persevering In Life and Ministry When Your Child Is Addicted
• Maintaining Marriage Health
• Denial On The Part Of The Parent
• Understanding Your Child, The Addict
• The "PK" Addicts Speak

To view these transcripts, scroll down. To order cassette tapes of these presentations from the Church Growth Institute, click here.

The transcripts that follow were the genesis of the book edited by John Vawter – "19 Stories of Hope, Love, and Healing." Hit By a Ton of Bricks: You're Not Alone When Your Child’s on Drugs. Click here to order.

Transcripts By Topic

Living With the Pain of an Addicted Child

• "Recovery Parenting"  by Pat Boris
• "Coping when the Bottom Falls Out"  by Gene and Norma Bourland
• "Kids’ Bad Decisions Do Not Mean We Are Bad Parents"  by Norma Bourland
• "Finding Value in the Valley Venture"  by Dr. Ray Burwick
• "My Name is Carey and I am an Alcoholic"  The Father Speaks by Rev. Dr. Guy Davidson
• "Carrying on when your Heart is Broken"  by Dr. Kim and Lynda Hodge
• "How to Beat the Devil: Dealing with Chemical Dependency in our Family"  by Greg and Rita Iverson
• "Loving and Letting Go: Leaving the Addict in God's Hands"  by Jim Smoke
• "God's Faithfulness and Our Perserverence"  by Noy Sparks
• "Dealing With The Fear/Pain Caused By An Addict Child"  by John Vawter
• "Keeping Hope During the Tough Days"  by John and Susan Vawter
• "Learning to Live One Day at a Time as Parents"  by John and Susan Vawter
• "Recovering from the Shock of Learning your Child is an Addict"  by Al and Sandi
• "A Pastor Learns Through His Drug Addicted Daughter"  by Dennis Wood

Persevering in Life and Ministry When Your Child is Addicted

• "Finding Hope in the Darkest of Times"  by John and Deb Casey
• "Ministering in Spite of the Pain of the Ups and Downs"  by Bill and Brenda Faulkner
• "Ministering to Others when You Are in Pain"  by Bill Faulkner
• "Twenty Years In The Addiction War"  by Bill and Brenda Faulkner
• "Keeping Faith While in the Valley of the Shadow of Drugs"  by Bill and Margaret Hansell
• "Keeping Faith During the Dark Times"  by Bill and Margaret Hansell
• "Persevering when You Feel Debilitated"  by Jim Smoke

Maintaining Marriage Health

• "Protecting Your Marriage When Your Child Is Abusing"  by Kim and Lynda Hodge with their son Evan Hodge
• "How to Grow in your Marriage during the Tough Times"  by Bill and Brenda Faulkner
• "Darling, Please Don't Shoot Me. I'm Hurting Too"  by John and Susan Vawter
• "How Drugs and Alcohol Impact your Marriage"  by John and Susan Vawter

Denial on the Part of the Parent

• "The Demons of Denial"  by Alfred Ells
• "Trusting God: Detaching from the Addict"  by John Vawter
• "Defeating Denial: Facing the Truth of your Child's Addiction"  by Zach Whaley
• "Moving from Denial to Trust in God for your Child's Future"  by Dr. Terry Zuehlke

Understanding Your Child, the Addict

• "Dealing with an Addicted Loved One"  by Zach Whaley
• "The Psychological Implications of Abuse and Recovery"  by Zach Whaley

The "PK" Addicts Speak

• "My Dad is a Pastor and ... I am an Alcoholic"  by Carey Davidson
• "A Young Addict's Perspective"  by Evan Hodge
• "A Sober View after 20 Years of Abusing Drugs"  by Todd Smoke
• "Understanding the Mind of an Addict"  by Todd Smoke
• "Pastors' Kids Can Make Poor Decisions, Too"  by Stephanie Vawter
• "Putting Drug Use behind You"  by Stephanie Vawter