For family, friends and other loved ones
When families are faced with addiction, hope can feel completely out of reach. But hope is real, and help is ready—at Dawn Farm. At the Farm, thousands of men and women have found compassionate care, professional treatment and the recovering peer support they need to rebuild their lives from the ruins of addiction.
Taking care of yourself
Addiction is called “a family disease.” It’s normal for loved ones of alcoholics and addicts to experience loneliness, guilt, resentment, stress, lack of sleep, or various health problems. This disease affects each family member differently. Some lose their spiritual connection as a result of despair or anger. Others watch their social life deteriorate.
Often family members feel personally responsible for holding everything together, fearing that if they don’t, the family will fall apart. This sense of personal responsibility is a huge burden—and it can lead to feelings of pain and anger. Healing will come for you when you turn your energies toward thinking about what you need for yourself.
Family Matters
Participating in Dawn Farm’s Family Matters group can make a powerful contribution to the process of recovery and of rebuilding relationships. You will learn that you can’t control addiction, you didn’t cause addiction, and you can’t cure addiction. By becoming aware of the beliefs and experiences that shape your own behaviors, you will identify new, healthy ways of coping with addiction-related issues and concerns. You can take part in Dawn Farm’s Family Matters group even if your loved one is not currently in treatment.
WHEN: First two Tuesdays of the month, 5:30-7:00pm
WHERE: Children Services Building; 4125 Washtenaw, Ann Arbor
CONTACT: For additional information, contact Shannon @ 734.821.0216
Intervention
An intervention is a carefully planned process in which family and friends, and sometimes colleagues, clergy or others, join together to express their love and concern with the goal of helping the addict choose to enter treatment.
Dawn Farm strongly recommends the book Love First to anyone considering an intervention. Jeff and Debra Jay give very detailed, step-by-step instructions for planning an effective intervention as well as advice about when a professional interventionist is needed.
The keys to a successful intervention are planning, preparation and technique. … Intervention unifies the family and gets everyone working together. Before the intervention ever takes place, the team goes through a planning a rehearsal process that leaves nothing to chance.
Below is a presentation by Jeff and Debra Jay from the Dawn Farm Education Series:
Their website also offers a wealth of free information.
Mutual Aid Meetings
(Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mpilote/)
