Welcome back to The Real Dope! In this heartfelt episode, sisters Meridith Elliott Powell and Beth Brand share a deeply personal and important topic: what to do when your child is struggling with addiction. They've seen it firsthand in their own families, so they understand how overwhelming, confusing, and heartbreaking it can be.

They’re here to be real with you, talking about how to recognize the signs (is it just a phase or something more serious?), the importance of learning about addiction, and most importantly, not trying to navigate this alone. Whether it’s reaching out to professionals, support groups like Al-Anon, or trusted family members and coaches who can connect with your child, they offer practical advice and heartfelt honesty.
They openly discuss how difficult it is to set boundaries, avoid enabling, or face frightening new risks like fentanyl. And they want you to know that sometimes, loving your child means letting them face the consequences, even when it’s incredibly tough. The sisters conclude with encouraging reminders that surviving this isn’t about perfection—it’s about keeping your child safe and well, while also taking good care of yourself.

If you’re going through this or just need honest support from people who truly understand, this episode is here for you. Stay tuned for helpful tips, encouragement, and a little hope.

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Hey there, and welcome back to The Real Dope! In today’s episode, sisters Beth Brand and Meridith Elliott Powell get real about something that often gets overlooked when you love an addict: protecting yourself. Whether you’re married to, related to, or caring for someone battling addiction, this episode is packed with down-to-earth advice and honest stories about why it’s so important to look out for your own legal, financial, and physical safety.

Beth and Meridith talk openly about the confusion, fear, and responsibility that comes with loving an addict. From credit card debt traps to sleeping with your bedroom door locked, they share the practical steps you can take right now, no matter where you are in your journey. Expect tips on everything from keeping a journal and stashing a go-bag to figuring out what the heck your legal rights are and remembering to confide in someone you trust.

Above all, this episode is a reminder that it’s okay to think about yourself, and sometimes protecting yourself is the bravest and best way you can support someone struggling with addiction. Tune in for a candid conversation, real talk, and a few laughs along the way—because you’re not alone, and together, we can turn surviving into thriving.

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Hey there, and welcome back to The Real Dope! If you’re someone who loves, lives with, or supports a person struggling with addiction, this episode is definitely for you. Based on real stories from sisters Elizabeth Brand and Meredith Elliot Powell, who’ve been through it all themselves, today's chat is all about what happens when you start to lose your belief in yourself while dealing with the chaos of addiction.

Meredith and Elizabeth get super honest about how easy it is to forget who you are and what you even like anymore. From planning your whole day around someone else’s needs to feeling like you have to ask permission just to pick an ice cream flavor or what shirt to wear, they’ve been there. They talk about how society, and addiction itself, can wear you down until you’re not sure what you want or if you even matter.

But here’s the good news: In this episode, you’ll get some real, practical advice on how to slowly start finding yourself again. The sisters share what helped them, like taking quiet moments for themselves, tapping into their gut feelings, finding a support system (even if it’s just one person), and giving themselves some grace along the way.

If you’re feeling lost, guilty, or just worn out, you’re not alone. Believe it or not, there is a way to regain your confidence and start believing in yourself again. So grab your coffee, take a breath, and join us for a raw, relatable conversation about turning survival into strength. Let’s get started!

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Hey there, and welcome back to The Real Dope! This week, hosts (and sisters) Meridith Elliott Powell and Beth Brand are diving into something that might surprise you: when it comes to addiction, you can actually count on your addict to follow certain patterns. It might sound crazy, addicts often seem totally unpredictable—but Meridith and Beth are here to break down how their experiences (and what they’ve heard from others) show that the same behaviors just keep popping up.

They chat honestly about all the classic warning signs—lying, blame games, disappearing acts, even broken stuff all over the house—and how these aren’t quirks of personality, but actually symptoms of the disease. More importantly, they don’t just focus on the addict: they turn the spotlight on the people who love them, sharing the real talk about how living with addiction can mess with your head and push you into patterns of enabling and self-doubt.

If you’re feeling a little bit crazy, doubting your instincts, or just plain lost because you care about someone struggling with addiction, this episode will be a breath of fresh air. You’re definitely not alone, and the first step toward real change is getting honest with yourself. So grab your coffee and settle in—this week is all about recognizing the patterns, trusting yourself again, and finding your way back to the person you want to be.

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Welcome to The Real Dope! I’m Meredith Elliot Powell, and I’m here with my sister and co-host, Beth Brand.

Today, we’re tackling a topic that hits close to home for both of us—enabling. If you’ve ever found yourself doing a little too much to help someone struggling with addiction, or if you’re just wondering, “Am I an enabler?” this episode is for you.

We know what it’s like, because we’ve been there. In this episode, we’re getting real about what it means to be an enabler—not just the textbook definition, but how it shows up in everyday life. We’ll talk about the patterns, the lies we tell ourselves (and others), and why it’s so hard to let go.

We’re here to help you see the subtle ways enabling creeps in—even after the addict is out of your life—and how it can completely take over your world and your health. We’ll also share the things that helped us start breaking the cycle.

Whether you’re just starting to notice the signs, or you’ve been stuck in these patterns for years, we want you to know you’re not alone. We’re turning survival into strength—and yes, we’ll have a few laughs along the way.

So join us for an honest, compassionate look at enabling—and how you can start to heal, too. Let’s get into it!

Welcome back to The Real Dope! In this episode, Meridith and Beth are diving deep into one of the most challenging parts of loving someone with an addiction: detachment. We know firsthand how hard it is to separate yourself from the chaos that addiction brings, and today we’re getting real about what detachment truly means. It’s not about being cold or giving up on someone; it’s an act of compassion for both you and the person you love. We’ll break down the difference between setting boundaries and detaching, share honest stories from our own lives, and give you practical ways to start letting go—just a little bit—so you can find some peace, even in the middle of the storm. If you’re finding it hard to step back without feeling guilty, or if you’re just not sure where to start, this episode is for you. Let’s tackle the challenge of detachment together.

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Welcome to The Real Dope podcast! We’re sisters—Meridith Elliot Powell and Beth Brand—and in this episode, we’re diving deep into a topic that’s close to our hearts and so essential for anyone living with addiction in their family: setting boundaries.

We know from experience just how confusing—and even overwhelming—boundaries can feel. In this conversation, we open up about our own journeys, sharing stories of where we stumbled, when we felt judged, and how we slowly came to understand what boundaries really mean for us. You’ll hear how not drawing lines led to generations of pain in our family, and how finally standing up for what we needed changed everything, not just for us, but for those around us.

We discuss openly the guilt, the pushback from society and loved ones, and why it’s perfectly okay to start small. Sometimes, setting a single boundary is a huge step, and nobody should feel bad about that. Throughout it all, we want you to know: you are not alone, your happiness matters, and there’s nothing wrong with choosing to live the life you want.

So join us for this real, unfiltered conversation. We hope you find validation, practical ideas, and a good dose of hope. And don’t miss the end—we’ll give you a sneak peek of next week’s episode, where we’ll be talking all about detachment and why that’s another tough, but important, piece of the puzzle.

Welcome to the first episode of The Real Dope, where we, sisters Meridith Elliott Powell and Elizabeth Brand, get honest about what it’s really like to love—and live with—someone who struggles with addiction. In this episode, “How Did I Get Here?”, we’re diving headfirst into the most loaded question we hear: “Are they an addict?”

We open up about our own experiences: how confusing and isolating it feels to constantly second-guess what you’re seeing, to bargain with yourself (and with your loved one), and to wonder if you’re the one overreacting. Instead of chasing that elusive label, we share the most powerful shift we made in our own journeys—turning the question back on ourselves and asking, “Is this a problem for me?”

By focusing on our needs and boundaries instead of trying to fix or diagnose someone else, we found agency, healing, and the freedom to make choices—whether it meant staying, going, or simply taking back control over our own lives. Throughout this conversation, we swap stories, laugh, get vulnerable, and remind you: it’s okay to have your own limits, and it’s more than okay to put yourself first on this painful path.

Join us and find the support, validation, and real talk you deserve as we help you navigate life alongside addiction—one step, one story, and one honest conversation at a time.

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