Kina family forum blogs
Poignant and topical blogs for family members
Nathan's New year's blog 2017
It’s New Year’s Eve and they’re the words you’ve been waiting to hear! ‘2017 is going to be different, this year I’m going to stop.’ Perhaps you heard these or similar words uttered recently by an addicted family member you’ve been hoping against all hope will... Read more
Nathan's Blog- surviving the earthquakes
Earthquakes, tsunamis and flooding- what a tumultuous week New Zealand has been experiencing! I don’t know about you but I found riding out an earthquake- that built and built in its intensity to the point where I was seriously wondering if this was going... Read more
Ara's Blog- Self care is the first step to happiness
Do you think that it is possible for you to be happier than what you are right now? If so what would that happiness depend on? Does you answer involve your loved one’s recovery, him or her being better somehow, or reaching a recovery... Read more
Ara's Blog- inside the brain
What’s happening inside that head of yours? As family members in relationship with someone who is dependent on substances, we can feel as though we’re trying to navigate in the dark. We do not understand our loved one’s behaviour, and their decision to continue... Read more
Ara's Blog- the A word
The A word Tightness in your throat, racing heart, stomach cramps, speeding thoughts and insomnia- AGAIN!? When your loved one is dependent on a substance, ANXIETY is a permanent (unwelcomed) resident inhabiting your mind and causing havoc to your body and wellbeing. Like all of our... Read more
Ara's Christmas Blog 2015
Well we are a few days away from Christmas day and I wanted to touch base with you all to see how your Christmas lead up is going. How are you? I realise that I cannot hear your answer but you can take a moment... Read more
Ara's Blog- the nature of change
Recovery is a process- the nature of change. Consider a time in your life when you’ve admitted to yourself that you indeed have a problem. How did that realisation feel? Perhaps you where relieved, overwhelmed, terrified, or calm. Perhaps your private admission was a fleeting... Read more
Ara's Blog- what is addiction
What is addiction? This is not an easy question to answer. Family members often seek the answer to this or arrive at a personal understanding of addiction. Our experience of living with a substance using loved one of course impacts and shapes our view of... Read more
Ara's Blog- living with the sadness
Living with the sadness that your loved one is in addiction: A heavy burden Being in relationship with someone who is dependent on a substance and coping with addiction can involve a grieving process. The English word for grief comes from the French greve, meaning heavy... Read more
Nathan's Blog- write yourself well
The benefits of writing about how you are feeling. Ever had that feeling there’s just so much noise going on upstairs that your head is likely to explode? Perhaps dealing with your loved one’s substance misuse means you’re living with this kind of emotional... Read more