Being a mom is one of the hardest and most important jobs a woman can have. Being a mom in recovery is even more challenging.

In Moms to Moms, Barbara Joy, a parenting counselor whose clients include addicts and alcoholics in custody, uses a time-honored recovery tradition: sharing stories. She interviewed more than 60 mothers in recovery from across the United States who have struggled with addiction. These are women of all ages, races, and religious affiliations who candidly share their experiences. Some are mothers with young children; others have grown children living on their own. Many have lost their children to the courts or have given them up for adoption.

This is real world advice from women who have been there. The women discuss the challenges of being a mom, the values they want to teach their children, and their fears, struggles, and accomplishments.

While not a meditation book, Moms to Moms is a book that busy, stressed out moms in recovery can turn to again and again to find inspiration, comfort, and advice. Through evaluation tools and strategies for positive parenting, Joy suggests ways for moms to incorporate the message of these stories into their own lives. Each chapter opens with a question that listeners can reflect upon and ends with journaling activities and affirmations designed to relieve stress and reinforce positive behavior.