Why families need help

My child has a problem. I need help for them ... and for me

Family members often suffer significant emotional damage, as well as financial, legal, medical, and other negative consequences, as part of a loved one’s substance use disorder. The effects can be short-term and long-term. Peaceful, loving homes can become divided, conflict may become the norm, trust erodes, relatives become more guarded or distant, marriages can become strained, and communication becomes more difficult. Families often endure shock, experience severe trauma, and/or develop unhealthy coping mechanisms in response to their loved one’s substance use.

Addiction is truly a “family disease.” Often the best chance for an individual struggling with substance misuse or substance use disorder to get better is for his or her family to get better. The Courage Center approaches recovery from a family perspective so we offer no-cost programs and services for family member participation to achieve the most effective outcomes.

The Courage Center offers a no-cost family support program that is available to loved ones even if their teen or young adult is not yet ready to begin their recovery journey. This program includes family support meetings in Lexington and Chapin:

Lexington Area Family Support Meeting

Mondays at 7PM

860 Park Road

Lexington, SC 29072

Richland Area Family Support Meeting

Mondays at 7PM

(Boozer Shopping Center)

1535-D Broad River Road

Columbia, SC 29210

Family support meetings aim to provide assistance regardless of whether the miusing or addicted loved one has engaged in treatment yet. This support helps families move their hurting loved one toward treatment, and can help affect the hurting loved one’s behavior by changing how family members interact with him or her. Families learn how to avoid detachment and confrontation. They learn positive communication skills and how to apply positive reinforcement for positive behavior (and withdrawing reinforcement for unwanted behavior. Meetings teach families how to understand a hurting loved ones’ triggers, problem-solving challenges, and self-care challenges.

Why family support is important

Family peer support or family support services offers hope, guidance, advocacy, and camaraderie for parents and caregivers of children and youth

misusing or abusing substances. Parent support providers deliver peer support through face-to-face support groups, phone calls, or individual meetings. They bring expertise based on their own experience parenting children or youth with social, emotional, behavioral, or substance use challenges, as well as specialized training, to support other parents and caregivers. Working within a peer support framework that recognizes the power of mutuality and experiential understanding, parent support providers deliver education, information, and peer support (Obrochta et al., 2011).

Loved ones trying to identify and access appropriate services for their child may find child-serving systems (e.g., mental health, education, juvenile

justice, child welfare, substance use treatment centers) complicated and overwhelming. Family peer support can help these parents navigate systems

more effectively, learn from the experiences of other families, feel less alone, and gain hope, ideas, and information. This support can help parents meet their children’s needs more efficiently, and with greater confidence and hope.

(Kutash et al., 2011, Hoagwood et al., 2009).

Source: SAMSHA.gov

One family's story. You aren't alone.