F or the new reader: The NOFAS Circle of Hope (COH) is a

What is the
You are not alone. If you are a support group for women who have
woman who used substances
NOFAS Circle consumed alcohol during pregnancy and/or
have a child or children with Fetal Alcohol
while pregnant, or who has a of Hope? Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
child with FASD, contact the
The COH is here to provide you with:
COH. We will connect you to
- Re fe rra ls a nd reso urces
a Warrior Mom; a mentor who
-Fa ctua l info rma tio n abo ut FAS D a nd a ddictio n
has been down a similar path.
-S uppo rt fo r y ou a nd yo ur family

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Chronic alcohol abuse takes a honorees, specials guests, and details of the
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death rates of alcoholics are over @AlcoholFree
50% higher among women than Pregnancy
men.
To join the Circle of Hope, or request more information, contact Kathy Mitchell at the National Organization of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome:
mitchell@nofas.org 800-66-NOFAS www.nofas.org
 A conversation with

Janet Christie is a birth mother and a recovery coach. She has been in recovery herself for 25 years, and has an adult son with FASD who
is now 38. Janet is a courageous, inspiring woman and NOFAS is grateful for everything she does to help women and families struggling
with addiction. Recently, I got the chance to have a conversation with Janet. In our discussion, she shared with me her own personal
journey as well as her current work as a recovery coach, specifically her coaching with women and families. Her insight and reflections
were enlightening, and NOFAS hopes that her message can give others strength and understanding.
We began by discussing her own background and her son. She acknowledges drinking during pregnancy, and she shared with me the
challenges that addiction has presented in their family. Over the course of her sons teenage years, she has really focused on strengthening
her relationship with her son, as well as working on herself as a mother. Receiving the diagnosis of pFAS when her son was a young adult
was the missing piece of the puzzle, according to Janet. Her son is doing really well today, and she admires his strength and tenacity in
dealing with the ongoing challenges of life.
Then we moved on to discuss Janets work as a recovery coach. When asked what inspired her to enter this field, she said, I was so
grateful to find recovery, for one thing. I was so grateful and I felt a passion to give back to the community, because the community saved
my life. And so my work became my life, and my life became my work. She got her certification in September 2015, and started her
own practice. She described how she feels pulled in this direction more than anything else at this time in her life. However, this work is
challenging, and she shared that one of the hardest parts of coaching is the bureaucracy and finding funding. Thats the challenging part -
expecting people to have to pay for that service- because I think it should be funded, she said.
On the other hand, her work with women and families is extremely rewarding for her, because she can see the ripple effect it creates:
Feeling like I am actually really making a difference is the rewarding part. And the ripple effect of that not just the woman getting help,
but that ripples out into her family and then the community.
Janet also spoke on her specific passion for working with mothers and families, and how it presents unique issues, because mothers are
accountable not only to themselves, but to their kids as well. She said, If a woman . . . is addicted to substances, she risks losing her kids
if she asks for help. This is an added layer of complication. She also mentioned the role that society plays in the stigma attached to
women drinking during pregnancy: society plays a role too, in how we project our judgments on to people. . . Just the guilt and shame
piece, its huge.
In discussing her own coaching style, she explained to me the spiritual element incorporated in the healing process for her. She said, I
believe that addition is a disease that affects us spiritually. I focus specifically on that place inside, that empty spacethat people who are
addicted use substances for, to try to fill-- that is what I focus on with healing. And that comes from connecting with other people; it
comes from getting out of isolation and not being alone. Just the loneliness that alcoholics and addicts suffer from is just really horrific.
Janet described how in her eyes, connections with others can be the most important part of recovery, because it is the cure for loneliness.
She states this very eloquently in one of her blogs: Addiction is a disease of delusion, isolation and loneliness. The antidote is human
connection.
We concluded the conversation by discussing the nature of addiction itself, and her ongoing battle with the chatter she experiences.
She said, The nature of addiction [is] so cunning and so much a disease that takes place between the ears- that ongoing chatter. And it
doesnt matter, someone who is 1 day sober, 1 year sober, 25 years sober, it doesnt change. That chatter is constantly going on in the
background. Its just, the longer that I am sober, the quieter the chatter is.
Her final piece of advice for the Circle of Hope network is to keep connecting and to keep healing: Just keep connecting with each
other-- keep doing what you are doing. Because the healthier you are, the better help you can be to your kids. Its all about the kids, its
all about the kids... I commend [these women] to keep going, and dont stop.
NOFAS would like to thank Janet Christie for sharing her story and her words with us. Please check out her website and her blog at
www.janetchristie.com, and follow her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fromlagertoblogger/.
~Written by Andrea Dressel, NOFAS intern~