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SAFE COMMUNITIES NEWS

How Does the Family Recover?

This story is about how my family has dealt with our child’s problem. We were lucky in that she went to a residential treatment center and got clean and sober. She goes to meetings and works her program.

But what about the family, how does it recover? All too often family members, significant others and spouses don’t understand that addiction is a disease. I discovered a support organization called Families Anonymous. It is a 12 Step Program for parents, loved ones and family members of people with substance abuse and emotional issues. I learned, among other things, that I did not cause my child’s problem, that I can’t control it and I can’t cure it. The program gave me a framework to deal with this situation regardless of whether my qualifier stays clean or not. Besides helping me find my sanity and serenity, attending FA meetings gave me common ground with my qualifier. It helped me reconnect and rebuild a broken relationship. You will not learn how to “fix” your loved one but you will learn how to improve your life.

If you are struggling with feelings or with a person that is active, check out www.familiesanonymous.org for a meeting near you.

RESOURCES

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SAFE COMMUNITIES

getting involved

The partnerships built by Safe Communities have created a safer community, with more opportunities for education and awareness. We continue to envision a safer future for the people who live in Madison and Dane County, with instances of unnecessary deaths and serious injuries are infrequent, rather than a daily occurrence.

RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE

Treatment Key

Safe communities has complied a list of abbreviation definitions for finding the right treatment for you.

MAT: Medication for Addiction Treatment.
OP: Outpatient Treatment – person lives at home or in the community, attends. individual and group therapy, these can include or not include MAT.
IOP: Intensive Outpatient Treatment – person lives at home or in the community, attends individual and extended groups, 9-12 hours a week.
Residential: person lives at the facility for a period of at least 14 days, some last as many as 45 days.
PHP: Partial Hospitalization Program is a structured mental health treatment program that runs for several hours each day, three to five days per week.
DBT: Dialectical behavior therapy is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that integrates mindfulness techniques.