The authors have been caregivers-balancing the care of loved ones who have special needs with their own self-care-for almost 30 years. They've shared their home, their financial resources, and their lives with aging relatives and friends, chronically ill family members, trou-bled youngsters, and of course, their own children. And they've done it with love.

But sometimes they wondered if they could survive it all.

Pat Samples and Diane and Marvin Larsen share the power of self-care that can be found in reliance on Twelve Step principles. They describe how codependent, harmful behaviors can develop when caregivers assume responsibility for others. And they demonstrate with their own stories how turning to the Twelve Steps can help caregivers acknowledge pain, break free of emotional snarls, and find strength to provide healthy support and love.