Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Lily who lived in a blue house with her mommy and her fluffy cat, Whiskers.

Lily loved when Mommy read her stories before bed and made pancakes for breakfast.

But sometimes, Mommy took medicine that made her different.

"The doctor gave Mommy special pills for her back pain," Grandma explained. "But sometimes medicine that helps can also hurt if you take too much."

When Mommy took too much medicine, she would sleep a lot, even during the daytime.

Sometimes she would promise to take Lily to the park but then forget.

This made Lily feel confused and sad.

"Is Mommy sick because of me?" Lily asked Grandma one day.

"No, sweetheart," Grandma said, giving Lily a big hug. "Mommy has something called addiction. It means her body thinks it needs the medicine, even when it starts causing problems."

Lily noticed other things too. Sometimes there wasn't enough food in the refrigerator. Sometimes Mommy would get angry very quickly.

One night, Mommy didn't come home at all. Lily stayed with Grandma, and her tummy felt like it was tied in knots.

"Where's Mommy?" Lily asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Mommy needed special help," Grandma said softly. "She's at a place where doctors can help her stop taking too much medicine."

Lily drew pictures for Mommy every day. She missed their bedtime stories and pancakes.

After many days, Lily and Grandma went to visit Mommy at the special hospital. Mommy looked tired, but her eyes were clearer.

"I'm working very hard to get better," Mommy said, holding Lily tight. "It's not because I don't love you. I love you more than anything in the whole wide world."

Mommy explained that getting better would take time. Some days would be good, and some days would be hard.

"It's like learning to ride a bike," said Mommy. "Sometimes I might fall down, but I'll keep trying."