When addiction damages trust, rebuilding it takes more than an apology. It takes time, consistency, honesty, and actions that family members can begin to rely on again.

Katie and I originally recorded this conversation a year ago, but the message feels just as important today. We’ve condensed it into this 25-minute episode focused on what it really takes to rebuild trust after addiction. We share both sides of rebuilding trust after addiction. Janice brings her perspective as a social worker, author, and mother in long-term recovery, while Katie shares what rebuilding trust looked and felt like from an adult child's perspective.

Together, they talk about what trust really means, why forgiveness and trust aren't the same, and how small, consistent actions can gradually rebuild a sense of safety in relationships.

You’ll hear practical strategies for rebuilding trust, including setting reasonable expectations, communicating more clearly, making meaningful apologies, respecting another person’s feelings and boundaries, and making regular deposits into what Janice calls the “trust bank.”

Most importantly, this conversation reminds us that trust isn’t rebuilt through promises about what we’re going to do. It’s rebuilt by what we consistently do over time.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Introduction
02:45 – The Importance of Rebuilding Trust
06:09 – Defining Trust in Relationships
10:47 – Steps to Rebuild Trust
13:56 – Tips for Making an Apology
17:17 – Building Trust: Practical Examples
23:51 – Call to Action

Janice Johnson Dowd, LMSW, is the author of Rebuilding Relationships in Recovery and brings both professional and personal experience to conversations about addiction, recovery, and family healing. Katie Dowd Walker brings the perspective of an adult child affected by addiction and shares candidly about what helped their relationship heal.

Please like and subscribe, and check out my website for more resources, a blog, and links to free downloads at https://www.janicejohnsondowd.com/

If you are interested in learning more about or purchasing the book, Rebuilding Relationships in Recovery: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D11SD3PJ?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Social media accounts include

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parenting_in_recovery/

https://www.instagram.com/janicejohnsondowd/

https://www.instagram.com/recoveringrelationshipspodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janice-dowd-b748b141/

How do you convince someone you love to get help for addiction? The answer may be the opposite of what you think.

When we’re frightened, angry, and desperate for someone to change, it’s easy to believe that if we can just make them understand how much damage they’ve caused, they’ll finally agree to treatment. But shame may actually make it harder for someone to ask for help.

In this episode, Janice Johnson Dowd explores a different approach, one built on compassion, honesty, accountability, and hope.

You’ll learn:

• Why shame may already be hiding beneath denial, anger, and defensiveness
• How to address destructive behavior without attacking the person
• The important difference between accountability and shame
• How compassion and firm boundaries can exist at the same time
• Why hope matters when someone is considering treatment
• Practical ways to make saying “yes” to help a little easier

Compassion doesn’t mean ignoring the damage addiction has caused, removing consequences, or pretending everything is okay. You can tell the truth, protect yourself, and set strong boundaries while still communicating one powerful message:

You are more than your addiction. You are worthy of help. And recovery is still possible.

Sometimes the first step toward treatment isn’t a dramatic breakthrough. Sometimes it’s simply helping someone believe they’re worth saving—and making the next step feel possible.

#AddictionRecovery #FamilyRecovery #SubstanceUseDisorder #AddictionTreatment #RecoverySupport #FamilyHealing

Please like and subscribe, and check out my website for more resources, a blog, and links to free downloads at https://www.janicejohnsondowd.com/

If you are interested in learning more or purchasing my book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D11SD3PJ?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Social media accounts include

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parenting_in_recovery/

https://www.instagram.com/janicejohnsondowd/

https://www.instagram.com/recoveringrelationshipspodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janice-dowd-b748b141/

What does it actually take to heal a damaged parent-child relationship - and what does that process look like from the adult child’s side?

In this deeply personal episode of Recovering Relationships, Janice and her adult daughter, Katie, talk openly about addiction, distance, boundaries, estrangement, and ultimately, healing.

Katie brings a perspective we don’t hear often enough: an adult daughter looking back from a relationship that has healed. She shares the frustration and hurt she experienced, why some attempts at connection fell short, and how the hard conversations they had both avoided eventually became breakthroughs.

Janice shares the other side: how afraid she was to ask difficult questions, how hard it was to listen without defending or explaining, and what she learned about accountability, consistency, and allowing her daughter to have her own experience of their family history.

And Katie offers an important message for parents experiencing estrangement or distance from an adult child: even when she was angry and needed space, she still wanted her mom.

Together, they explore:

• Why small attempts at connection can still matter
• What makes an apology feel sincere rather than performative
• Why “I did the best I could” doesn’t erase the hurt
• Why curiosity works better than defensiveness
• How difficult conversations can lead to breakthroughs
• Why actions and consistency rebuild trust over time
• What parents can do when they hope to reconnect with an adult child

They also discuss an important reality: estrangement isn't always complete no-contact. Sometimes families live in the complicated space between connection and cutoff, where love is still present, but so are hurt, boundaries, and uncertainty.

This isn't about deciding who was right or assigning blame. It's about what can happen when a parent and adult child become willing to understand each other's experience.

If you're a parent hoping to reconnect, or an adult child navigating love, hurt, boundaries, and the possibility of reconciliation, we hope you'll join us.

What do you wish parents or adult children better understood about estrangement? Share your thoughts or questions in the comments.

Please like and subscribe, and check out my website for more resources, a blog, and links to free downloads at https://www.janicejohnsondowd.com/

If you are interested in learning more or purchasing my book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D11SD3PJ?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Social media accounts include

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parenting_in_recovery/

https://www.instagram.com/janicejohnsondowd/

https://www.instagram.com/recoveringrelationshipspodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janice-dowd-b748b141/

#FamilyEstrangement #ParentChildEstrangement #EstrangedParents #AdultChildren #MotherDaughter #FamilyHealing #Reconciliation #AddictionRecovery #HealingRelationships #RecoveringRelationships