FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – The Mom of an Addict, Inc., an organization founded in Fort Wayne that offers education and support to families who have been affected by a loved one’s substance use disorder, is adding another, in-person meeting location.
The new meetings will be held weekly beginning on Monday, January 24 at 6:30 PM at Concordia Lutheran Church and School, 4245 Lake Ave, Fort Wayne.
Representatives with The Mom of an Addict, Inc. released the following:
Addiction is a disease that affects the entire family, and the opioid and meth epidemics continue to rage. “Families who have a child or other family member battling substance use disorder often try to cope on their own, in silence, mainly because of the stigma associated with mental health and addiction. Many times, they don’t talk about it because of fear of judgment,” says Jennifer Hope, founder and director of The Mom of an Addict, Inc.
At the free support group meetings, parents, grandparents, spouses, siblings, children and friends will find others who understand what they are going through with their loved one. The meetings have an educational component for the first 30 minutes, and the next hour is spent in small group sharing settings. Sharing is not a requirement for anyone as the group realizes some people need to come and listen for a few meetings before feeling comfortable enough to talk about their struggle.
The educational component addresses many topics associated with addiction, such as: the science of the disease of addiction, different types of drugs, enabling, detaching with love, setting healthy boundaries, types of treatment available, communication with our child, self-care, co-occurring disorders, relapse and ending the stigma. There will be guest speakers on a regular basis to address other specific topics.
“We have a great group of leaders trained to launch and run this meeting location,” adds Hope. “It is exciting to see those who have been attending our meeting rise up and want to carry forward our mission. I believe these ladies are going to bring hope to many.” The leaders for the Concordia Lutheran Church and School meeting are Tara Bustos, Sharon Grandmaison, Nancy Raber and Liz Ternet.
The meeting at Concordia Lutheran Church and School will be held in Centennial Hall, which is easily found by entering the building through door 1 at the large portico. There will be signs directing people to the meeting room once inside the building. The meeting is an “open” meeting, and all family members, friends and those wanting to learn are encouraged to attend.
Additional in-person and online meeting locations can be found here.
