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April 27 - May
3, 2008 Los Angeles, California
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To Families and Friends of Addicts
If you have an addict in your life we
recommend compassionately confronting their use and setting boundaries around
their using behavior. (i.e. "I find your drug use unacceptable - and I won't
allow you around the house when you are high or using drugs" etc.)
It may help to remember that addicts are
suffering from a progressive and potentially fatal disease. Modern medical
thinking is that addiction is not a weakness, a lack of willpower or a moral
failing. Addicts are sick people who can be effectively encouraged to get
well, not bad people who need to be "good."
Sadly, most addicts do not recover until
they become willing to seek help; our experience has shown it is nearly
impossible to "make someone recover."
Addiction is a progressive disease that
affect the entire family structure. Modern treatment approaches deal with the
family and friends as well as the addict. It is important to
NOT
shield the addict from the consequences of their using behavior. (referred to
as "enabling.") Not enabling the addict may help them become willing to seek
help.
If you are coping with the pain of
having an addict and/or alcoholic in your life we strongly recommend a program
like NARANON, ALANON or
CoDA for you, both as a
support mechanism and because they can offer strategies for coping with a
loved one's addiction. NA and AA Regional Services should be able to help you
locate these programs in your area.
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NARANON - and organization for the
families and friends of drug addicts, can be reached via their website at
www.nar-anon.org or at (310)
547-5800 or write to: Nar-Anon Family Group
Headquarters, Inc. 22527 Crenshaw Blvd #200B Torrance, CA 90505 USA
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CoDA or Codependents Anonymous
is another group that offers help to families and friends of addicts and
alcoholics. They can be reached via their website at:
www.wscoda.org
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ALANON can be reached via their website at:
www.al-anon.alateen.org/ Alanon
is focused on the families and friends of Alcoholics, but their materials
will be helpful to the loved ones of addicts as well. They are a much larger
organization than Naranon, and therefore easier to find in many localities.
- Hazelden Treatment Center /
Publishing Company has an
excellent
listing of articles for family members of addicts.
- "What can I
say to Get you to Stop?" - a Hazelden pamphlet for the friends and loved
ones of addict / alcoholics.
- Sober 24 offer
support to families and loved ones of addicts and alcoholics.
(Family & Friends of the afflicted meet in their
SoberChat room on Tuesdays
and Thursdays at 10pm EST.)
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