The Joey Song

A Mother's Story of Her Son's Addiction

By: Sandra Swenson

Narrated by: Lori Felipe-Barkin

Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

There can be recovery, even if it doesn't happen within the addict. Sandy lives where love and addiction meet - a place where help enables and hope hurts. When addiction steals her son, Sandy fights for his survival, trying to stay on the right side of an invisible line between helping him to live and helping him to die. By age 20, Joey overdoses, attempts suicide, quits college, survives a near-fatal car accident, does time behind bars, and is kicked out of rehab more than once. Increasingly manipulative, delusional, and hateful, the sweet Joey from childhood is lost to the addict wearing his face.

Working with an interventionist, a judge, and tracking Joey's movements online, Sandy does what she can to save Joey from himself until it hurts more to hang on than it hurts to let go. Through Family Programs, Al-Anon, reading, and learning from her mistakes, Sandy discovers that sometimes love means doing nothing, and that letting go is not the same thing as giving up. She also learns that she needs to work on surviving her son's addiction while coming to terms with the fact that he may not.

Years pass. Friends and family no longer ask about Joey; they no longer know what to say. Joey is not in recovery, but Sandy works on hers, trying to keep the poison that is consuming Joey from destroying the rest of her family and her life. She starts a program to teach young men living in a group home how to budget, grocery shop, and cook, hoping that someone will someday help her own son in some way that she cannot. As in the song she sang to him so many times, Sandy keeps Joey down in her heart to stay. There is a place in her life that is exactly his size. One she hopes he will someday want to fill.

This is the poignant story of a defiant addict and the mother who won't give up on him. She finally realizes that it hurts more to hang on than to let go, and that letting go is not the same thing as giving up.

©2014 Central Recovery Press (P)2017 Central Recovery Press

A Must Listen for ANY Addicts Mom

If you are an Addict's Mom - I recommend this book a million times.
If you are someone who loves and Addict's Mom - I recommend this book a million times.
It's RAW, POWERFUL, TRUTHFUL and INSIGHTFUL.
I cannot say enough about the power of Sandra's story, and the tears I've cried listening to this book. As an Addict's Mom I can related to the craziness, the struggle, the heartache and the feelings she faced. My heart broke with her and my heart could relate to the pain she felt. It also gave me hope to see her come out of the craziness and start taking care of herself. A mother's love is never ending, a mother's pain watching her child go through addiction is truly unexplainable. This audio book has been the closest I've felt to realizing I'm not the only one who's dealt with this or feels this way.
Again.... I'd recommend this book a million times and then a million more.

Hoping for a happier ending

This is really good book with really good advice. The story is tragic, but clearly captures what most of us Mothers are going through. I chose this book because I wanted to read something positive about someone going through addiction. I Haven’t found that book yet.

A must

As the mother of an addict who is learning to heal herself and to love without enabling, this story has helped me realize that I am not the only one who has felt and thought the things I have, and that I am right in doing what I’m doing. Thank you Sandra Swenson for sharing your story. Thank you for helping me not feel so alone. May God give those who want sobriety the strength they need to reach it.

This book has given me strength and courage

Sandy's story is wonderfully told from a mother's point of view of addiction. I too have a son who is an addict and is in recovery at the moment. She has given me the strength and encouragement to be strong and say No More!
Thank you Sandy for sharing your story and Joey's story.

Excellent Book.

A must read or listen for anyone confronted with addiction. Thank you to Sandy for sharing her story.

The Joey Song

A very heartfelt touching story of one mothers love for her son who has the disease of addiction. I feel like it is the story about my loved one who struggles with insidious disease. Those who don’t think addiction is a disease should definitely read this book!!

Thank you!

It’s recently hit me like a bag of bricks that my almost 18-year-old has been struggling from addiction over the last five years. I’ve made every excuse in the book for his behavior. Enabling his actions by turning a blinds eye. It’s easier to pretend like everything is okay then to face the monster he has become. He’s made it to where I can no longer ignore his “problem”. A problem of which this book has helped me truly understand as a disease. I’ve called several treatment facility’s over the last few days while listening to you’re story and have found one that seems to be a perfect fit for him, the day he turns 18. Thank you for sharing your brutal honesty. It gave me the courage I needed to take action. My son will be given 30 days at a rehab in the beautiful hills of Tennessee for his 18th birthday present. He will either use that time to reflect and decide to change, or he won’t. If you are a parent with a child in active addiction, I highly recommend this book.

Highly Recommend

I felt like Sandy was telling my story. This book helped me to detach with love.

A Must Read for a Parent

If you have a son or daughter who is or has struggled with addiction, this is a must read. Not only for the mother but also for the father. Bob M

This is MY paper dragon

There is transparency and vulnerability in every word! The lessons learned and shared is a gift to every person walking this journey with a loved one who struggles with addiction. Shining a light on the effect addiction has on a family reminds us we are not alone. Thank you!