’Parenting is hard. Recovery is hard,’ says Benton. When you combine the two, the challenges multiply. For parents in recovery (PIRs), the process of recovery is so much more than just stopping drug and alcohol abuse. There are physical, psychological, social, and spiritual issues that carry over for years. Benton, who had seven years of recovery before she became a mother, knows the struggles firsthand. Addiction, by nature, drives the user inward; parenting, by nature, requires an outward focus. Benton interviews parents in various stages of recovery, sharing their personal stories.… She offers helpful suggestions from PIRs on the front line for social living while sober. Each chapter ends with excerpts from Benton’s personal journals citing her personal journey. Parents facing these challenges will feel understood and supported.

Booklist

Sarah Benton's newest book Parents in Recovery adds to the field by writing lessons garnered through lived experience and facts supported by research and data. Demystifying a field shrouded in mystery and misconception, Benton writes clearly about the nature of Substance Use Disorders, the recovery process, and the blessing of going deeply. Often seen as synonymous with giving up a substance or other behavior, Sarah Benton clarifies the nature of living in recovery. More than just a recovery book, it provides gentle guidance for parents that can benefit those in recovery...or not.

Diana Clark, president of O'Connor Professional Group, author of Addiction Recovery: A Family's Journey

Addiction is passed down (in part) from generation to generation, but so too is recovery. In Parents in Recovery Sarah Benton presents a roadmap for both reflection and practice for parents in recovery as well as those who love or work with them. In equal parts inspiring and instructional, Benton blends her own clinical expertise and personal recovery story with the voices of other recovering parents and experts. The result is a highly readable and encouraging guidebook that reminds us that while recovery isn’t always easy, it is always worth it when families are at the center.

Dawn Nickel, Dawn Nickel, co-founder of SHE RECOVERS® Foundation, author of She Recovers Every Day: Meditations for Women

Recovery has been the gift that has allowed me to be present in my three children’s lives, but navigating parenting as a person in recovery is complex and stressful. Sarah Allen Benton’s book provides a beautiful and helpful guide to this very often experienced but rarely discussed segment of parents.

Greg Williams, filmmaker of The Anonymous People, Generation Found, and Tipping The Pain Scale

Sarah Allen Benton has written an excellent book to help fill a surprising gap in recovery literature: parents in recovery. As a man in long-term recovery and father of a teenager, it is refreshing to see so many wonderful nuggets of guidance for parents in recovery to help us navigate the interwoven journeys of recovery and being a loving and present parent. Incorporating extensive research, excerpts of interviews, and suggested skills for readers to incorporate into their lives, Benton has written a powerful book to help all parents in recovery enhance their journey doing 'the toughest job you'll ever love.'

Dan Griffin, author of A Man's Way through the Twelve Steps, A Man's Way through Relationships, and Amazing Dads!

The greatest achievement of my life has been the honor and responsibility of being a sober father. Sobriety has allowed me to be fully present, accountable and vulnerable to the people that I love and treasure the most; my children, Chris Jr., Samantha and Drew. Heather and I are incredibly blessed to walk this journey together.

Sarah’s book addresses every aspect of being a parent in recovery (PIR). Regardless of your recovery or parenting stage, Sarah offers a “first of its kind” navigation and motivational tool from the personal lens of Clinician, Educator and Parent. This is a book that you will keep and refer to again and again.

Chris Herren, founder of Herren Project, Herren Talks and Herren Wellness, author of Baskteball Junkie