Christopher Lawford (nephew of John F. Kennedy) is a Maui resident and willing to help our community raise awareness about the stigma attached to addiction, and to educate this community about what works and what does not work when dealing with addiction. In his book he talks about families educating themselves about enabling behaviors and how to break the cycle in the family. To quote ” You can throw them a rope but don’t go in the water,” is a great way to tell families they can help their loved ones only if they help themselves. Debbie Bayer is a licensed family therapist and addictions specialist, she has over 30 years of personal recovery from addiction. She lost her Mother to alcoholism in 1988. Debbie understands the disease of addiction both from the perspective of the addict/alcoholic but also from that of the family members.

Read his full interview about his latest book, Recover to Live: Kick Any Habit, Manage Any Addiction here.