Facing a Family Disease with Congresswoman Madeleine Dean & Son Harry Cunnane
07/13/21 • 46 min
Congresswoman Madeleine Dean thought she understood addiction – but it wasn’t until her son Harry Cunnane was struggling that she came to truly realize what it means when a loved one has a substance use disorder. Now Harry has been in recovery for more than eight years, and the mother and son have written a joint memoir, titled Under Our Roof: A Son's Battle for Recovery, a Mother's Battle for Her Son. With this book, the pair hope to share the lessons they’ve learned about addiction and recovery with other families impacted by this disease.
In the 19th episode of Heart of the Matter, Elizabeth interviews Madeleine and Harry about what they gained from writing Under Our Roof, what it means when people refer to addiction as a family disease, and the importance of amplifying the possibility of recovery – not just the horror of active addiction.
Today, Madeleine continues to serve Pennsylvania’s fourth district, and Harry remains active in the addiction recovery community, even working as a resource director at the same treatment center where he originally sought help.
Related reading:
After you listen, explore these resources from Partnership to End Addiction to learn more about the topics and themes discussed in this episode:
- How to Identify Substance Use Disorder & Addiction
- How to Make a Discharge Plan When Your Child Leaves Addiction Treatment
- Get One-on-One Help to Address Your Child’s Substance Use
To learn more:
Partnership to End Addiction website
Donate today to help us provide free resources to families
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
Congresswoman Madeleine Dean thought she understood addiction – but it wasn’t until her son Harry Cunnane was struggling that she came to truly realize what it means when a loved one has a substance use disorder. Now Harry has been in recovery for more than eight years, and the mother and son have written a joint memoir, titled Under Our Roof: A Son's Battle for Recovery, a Mother's Battle for Her Son. With this book, the pair hope to share the lessons they’ve learned about addiction and recovery with other families impacted by this disease.
In the 19th episode of Heart of the Matter, Elizabeth interviews Madeleine and Harry about what they gained from writing Under Our Roof, what it means when people refer to addiction as a family disease, and the importance of amplifying the possibility of recovery – not just the horror of active addiction.
Today, Madeleine continues to serve Pennsylvania’s fourth district, and Harry remains active in the addiction recovery community, even working as a resource director at the same treatment center where he originally sought help.
Related reading:
After you listen, explore these resources from Partnership to End Addiction to learn more about the topics and themes discussed in this episode:
- How to Identify Substance Use Disorder & Addiction
- How to Make a Discharge Plan When Your Child Leaves Addiction Treatment
- Get One-on-One Help to Address Your Child’s Substance Use
To learn more:
Partnership to End Addiction website
Donate today to help us provide free resources to families
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
Previous Episode
The Origins of the Opioid Epidemic with “Empire of Pain” Author, Patrick Radden Keefe
In this episode of Heart of the Matter, ElizabethVargas interviews bestselling author and investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe about his latest book, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. In this book, Patrick tells the story of the family responsible for setting into motion the opioid epidemic.
Following his recent testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform about the Sackler family, Patrick joins Elizabeth to discuss the “Don Draper of medical advertising,” how one family created a massive addiction crisis, and what is in store for the Sacklers, who now face numerous lawsuits.
Related reading:
After you listen, explore these resources from Partnership to End Addiction to learn more about the topics and themes discussed in this episode:
- Your Comprehensive Guide to the Opioid Epidemic — and What You Can Do About It
- Safeguard Against Medicine Abuse: Securing and Disposing Medications
- Send a Letter Now: Increase Access to Addiction Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services
To learn more:
Partnership to End Addiction website
Donate today to help us provide free resources to families
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
Next Episode
“Drunk Dreams,” Emerging from the Pandemic and Destigmatizing Addiction with Political Commentator Molly Jong-Fast
For the 20th episode of Heart of the Matter, Elizabeth Vargas is joined by her friend, writer and political commentator Molly Jong-Fast. Despite entering recovery almost 24 years ago at the age of 19, Molly still regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings – but her routine was disrupted in the past year due to COVID-19. Together, Elizabeth and Molly discuss how they maintained their mental health throughout the pandemic, their approaches to parenting, the lifelong struggle of addiction, as well as their thoughts on civility, politics, stress and so much more.
Related reading:
After you listen, explore these resources from Partnership to End Addiction to learn more about the topics and themes discussed in this episode:
- Stress and Drug Use: What Every Parent Should Know
- Risk Factors for Addiction
- What Types of Addiction Treatment are Available?
To learn more:
Partnership to End Addiction website
Donate today to help us provide free resources to families
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
Heart of the Matter - Facing a Family Disease with Congresswoman Madeleine Dean & Son Harry Cunnane
Transcript
Elizabeth Vargas:
Hello, everybody. Welcome to "Heart of the Matter." I am your host, Elizabeth Vargas, and it feels like... I don't know. If you've been reading newspapers or watching television news, it feels like politics has invaded every single corner and aspect of our daily lives, so perhaps it's no surprise that there's also a bit of a political divide when it comes to the topic of addiction. And our guest on today's podcast, actually, is a member of Congress. She is Congresswoma
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