You tried the Al-Anon and Nar-Anon meetings, but you want to go somewhere else where everyone involved is the parent of a drug addict or alcoholic. Parents have a unique path to follow because it is their child at stake, and the parental instinct to save their child is overpowering.
You want to meet with others who know how you feel. Parents of Addicted Loved Ones (PAL) might be exactly what you are looking for. PAL is often referred to as an alternative to Al-Anon or Nar-Anon.
PAL has been around since 2006 when the founder Michael Speakman was working in the addiction field as a substance abuse counselor for residential rehab patients. He saw how entire families were impacted, regardless of the age of the addict or alcoholic.
PAL members meet once a week and the focus is on parenting an addict child. Others are not turned away but the focus is on being the parent of an addict.
While PAL meetings are primarily in the state of Arizona, others are starting to branch out. In time, the organization hopes to have meetings set up nationwide.
Seasoned members of the group run meetings.
Each meeting provides education as well as sharing. For parents of adolescence, PAL provides supportive help in getting parents to see the truth about addiction as it relates to their families.
Parents of addicts can find it difficult to stop enabling. It is not uncommon for addicts in their 20’s to still be supported by mom and dad. At PAL, you will
develop the tools needed to break that cycle. The main components of PAL are:
Confidentiality, Respect, Acceptance, Support
There are resources available to see if
PAL meetings are near you. If not and you would like to start one in your area, contact PAL through its website:
www.palgroup.org and express your interest.
If there are no meetings near you, you can participate in a 90-minute conference call PAL meeting every third Thursday of the month.