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The Shadow Child: Living With a Sibling's Addiction
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The Shadow Child: Living With a Sibling's Addiction
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Weight: 0.45 lbs
The Shadow Child
Living With a Sibling’s Addiction
Author: Ashleigh Nowakowski
đź’” About the Book
The Shadow Child is a raw, heartfelt memoir that shines light on an often-overlooked perspective in addiction recovery — that of the sibling. Author Ashleigh Nowakowski courageously shares her experience growing up and living in the shadow of her brother’s substance abuse, exploring the pain, confusion, resentment, and love that accompany watching a sibling struggle with addiction.
For nearly a decade, Ashleigh stood beside her brother on stages across the Midwest, telling their intertwined stories to students and families as a message of hope and recovery. But when her brother relapsed, the illusion of healing shattered. In the aftermath, Ashleigh realized that while her brother’s journey had been the center of attention, she had quietly carried her own wounds — ones she had never addressed.
Through The Shadow Child, she invites readers into her emotional journey of grief, forgiveness, and self-discovery, revealing how she learned to step out of the shadows, reclaim her own identity, and begin to heal.
🌱 Themes & Insights
- The Hidden Impact of Addiction on Siblings: A rare and honest exploration of how a loved one’s substance use disorder ripples through an entire family.
- Unspoken Pain: The emotional burden of being “the good child” — the one who holds it together while chaos surrounds you.
- Relapse and Recovery: The painful cycle of hope, heartbreak, and resilience that families experience.
- Healing and Self-Reclamation: How to find your own light and voice after years of living in someone else’s shadow.
- Family, Forgiveness, and Faith: Learning to hold compassion without losing boundaries.
đź’¬ Praise & Endorsements
Featuring a moving foreword by Tom Farley, brother of comedian Chris Farley, The Shadow Child gives a voice to a silent population — the siblings of those struggling with addiction. Tom, who has also spent years educating others on the family impact of substance use, calls Nowakowski’s story “an essential perspective in the recovery conversation — one of truth, compassion, and hope.”
🌻 Why You’ll Love It
- Offers comfort and validation to those who’ve felt unseen in a loved one’s addiction.
- Brings awareness to an often-ignored part of the recovery experience — the siblings who suffer quietly.
- Written with honesty, warmth, and vulnerability, making it deeply relatable to families affected by addiction.
- Serves as both a healing memoir and an educational resource for prevention and recovery advocates.
👩‍💼 About the Author
Ashleigh Nowakowski, born in 1984 in southeastern Wisconsin, is a passionate prevention educator and co-founder of Your Choice to Live, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to drug and alcohol prevention. Through her work in schools and communities, she has reached thousands of parents, teachers, and students, advocating for early education and compassionate understanding around addiction.
She holds a Master of Public Administration, is a certified prevention specialist, and is pursuing her substance abuse counselor certification. In her writing and speaking, Ashleigh stands as a voice for the countless siblings who suffer quietly — helping them find hope, healing, and the courage to step out of the shadows.
Perfect For:
- Siblings and family members of those struggling with addiction
- Readers seeking healing and understanding after trauma
- Counselors, educators, and recovery advocates looking for authentic family perspectives
“For years, I told my brother’s story.
But this time, I’m telling mine.”
— Ashleigh Nowakowski, The Shadow Child
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