My latest guest on The Expressive Mom Show is Gina Kunadian—a loving wife, mother, certified massage therapist, TEDx speaker, and alcohol-free sobriety coach dedicated to helping women break free from alcohol addiction.
Through her podcast Shine Within, Gina inspires, motivates, and guides her listeners, helping them reclaim their confidence, clarity, and renewed energy. After overcoming her own struggles with alcoholism, she’s committed to supporting others on their path to recovery.
Her unique Transformation SHINE Process offers compassionate care, empowering women to heal, rediscover themselves, and step into their fullest potential with a renewed sense of purpose.
The Impact of Parental Substance Abuse
Parental
substance abuse and alcoholism can have devastating consequences for children. Kids of addicted parents are at far greater risk of developing their own substance use issues, as well as mental health problems like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. They may act out in school, struggle to form healthy relationships, or even end up in the foster care system. The trauma and instability they experience can haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Challenges for Addicted Parents
For parents battling addiction, the desire to be a good mom or dad is often still there, buried under layers of shame, guilt, and the overpowering pull of their substance of choice. But the disease keeps robbing them of the ability to fulfill that role. The more they fail, the deeper the shame spiral, making reaching out for help even harder.
Stigma and Lack of Support
Despite the scale of this problem, there remains a profound stigma around parents who struggle with addiction. They are often seen as selfish, irresponsible people who have abandoned their duties. This judgmental attitude only serves to keep these parents trapped in the cycle of addiction, unable to access the comprehensive support they need.
The Path to Recovery and Healing
With the right interventions and a community of care, however, even the most entrenched patterns of addiction can be transformed. Evidence-based addiction treatment,
mental health services, and family therapy can give parents and their children the best chance at healing and recovery. This process is critical to rebuilding trust, repairing relationships, and breaking free of shame.
The Resilience of the Parent-Child Bond
Even in the face of the most devastating circumstances, the parent-child bond is remarkably resilient. With empathy, open communication, and a shared commitment to well-being, families touched by addiction can find their way back to connection and healing. It’s not an easy journey, but it is possible.
You can connect with Gina on her site: https://www.ginakunadian.com/. She is also on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and you can check out her podcast, Shine Within. Check the episode here:
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