Weston, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/17/2014 -- Deni B. Sher faced every mother’s worst nightmare head-on; a twenty-five year-old son with a drug and alcohol addiction who was slowly killing himself. But it wasn’t just his life needing to be saved, as Sher had entered the ugly world of co-dependency and enablement where both struggled for normalcy. After facing their reality and learning the true definition of tough love, the duo started to rebuild their lives piece-by-piece. Sher’s secret weapon was her pen and, after writing her way out of horror, is releasing her experiences in the form of a compelling new memoir.

‘How One Parent Engaged Addiction: A Mother's Healing Journey Through Her Son's Addiction’ isn’t just a personal story, but a heartfelt and bold attempt to inspire others facing the demons of addiction to start the long walk toward a new life.

Synopsis:

Deni B. Sher bravely bares her soul, so others might also find the hope, faith, and strength required to understand their family-of-origin histories and to heal their lives. After applying tough love to her son, Deni battles not only with his state of mind but also with her own patterns of dysfunctional behavior. Through journal entries, letters, e-mails, poetry, prose, song lyrics, stage dialogue between imaginary characters, and her son's artwork, Deni creates a unique memoir chronicling both her son's recovery from addiction and her successful recovery as a codependent enabler. You will never doubt her message about the power of positivity, determination, intention and love.

“I grew to understand I was an enabling mother whose codependency allowed my family to drag itself deeper and deeper into dysfunction,” explains Sher. “Recovering normalcy was never easy. At the beginning it seemed impossible but every step we took was one in the right direction and we refused to let the disease win. My story clearly demonstrates the powers of prayer, positive thinking, intention, manifestation and creative visualization.”

Continuing, “I chose to share my journey because parents need to know happy endings are possible and light awaits at the end of the darkness. I’m acutely aware that thousands upon on thousands of families are desperately searching for the same healing and serenity I found, so I’m bearing my soul in an effort to spread hope to others. It’s a creative innovation transcending the typical memoir through things that simply cannot be put into words.”

Since its release, the book has garnered a string of rave reviews. Sheila M. Trask of Clarion ForeWord Reviews comments, “While the content of Sher’s story is not new, her presentation is. Inspired to create not only a journal-like narrative, but also a musical production to honor her family’s experience, Sher offers a unique memoir that’s part diary, part poetry, and part musical theater. Sher is articulate about her dawning recognition of the problem, and she shows exactly what the process was like. While readers may wish for further refinement in Sher’s storytelling choices, they will never doubt her message about the power of perseverance and a positive outlook.”

Amazon user ‘AlkoKato’ adds, “Deni B. Sher writes with honesty and great heart about a parent's determination to face the fight of overcoming her child's struggles with addiction. Every parent who faces this assault on a child's health and well being - perhaps its very survival - can benefit from following this mother's journey of ending enabling, through rejection, to the hard work of employing tough love. She discovers a level of pain in this process, which few parents might be willing to bear. She strives to gain understanding, learning from each bashing of hope, ultimately finding partnership with her talented son to bring about success and health. I have spent years working with addiction and know the limits of hope for lasting, successful outcomes. This heart wrenching story, dialogue, and strength of parental love will always be in my bookcase.”

‘How One Parent Engaged Addiction: A Mother's Healing Journey Through Her Son's Addiction’, from Weston Publishers, is available now: http://amzn.to/1DRKoQg

ISBN 978-0-9913941-2-8 and as an eBook

The author will be appearing at the Miami International Book Fair on November 21st, 2014.

http://www.miamibookfair.com

About Deni B. Sher
Deni B. Sher lives in Weston, FL, with her husband, Arthur. Possessing a love of writing, she returned to college at age 50 and received her Bachelor of Arts in English at 52. Her passion is to shed light on familial dysfunction, codependency, alcoholism and drug addiction through her personal experience.

More information is available at http://www.HOPEaddictionBook.com