Family Support in Alberta
This mother is struggling with her daughter’s substance abuse issues asked us for information on how to support herself. We thought this was a great request to highlight because many family members call us looking for ways to support their addicted loved one (which is natural). But the truth is, you can only influence and control your loved one so much. Finding ways to support yourself can be more effective because you’re helping change the pattern of addiction that’s occurring within the family. We provided Sheila* with the mental health and addiction office in Drayton Valley. They often have counsellors funded by AHS to help you find the best ways of supporting yourself and your family as affected loved ones of someone else’s addiction. Call to see what support services they can provide you: Drayton Valley 5136 51 Avenue Drayton Valley, AB T7A 1S4 Phone: (780) 542-5669 You can also attend peer-support groups with other family members/parents who are affected by a loved one’s substance use. 1. Online Al-Anon 2. http://www.naranonchat.com/ 3. http://www.nar-anon.org/ FAMILY RESOURCES This link will take you to different therapies and models used to treat families of addicts. The first part outlines the different styles of therapies and the second part lists several resources organized into categories for the family (e.g. codependecy and addicts, cocaine addicts and family, al-anon and family, etc). The following books are on enabling and boundaries (they come from the webpage above). They can be helpful in deciding what sort of approach you want to take with your addicted loved one. Boundaries and Family Addiction Addictive Relationships: Reclaiming Your Boundaries (1989) Joy Miller Better Boundaries: Owning and Treasuring Your Life (1997) Jan Black, Greg Enns Boundaries – Where You End And I Begin: How To Recognize And Set Healthy Boundaries (1994) Anne Katherine Boundaries and Relationships: Knowing, Protecting and Enjoying the Self (1993) Charles Whitfield Boundaries in Marriage (1999) Henry Cloud and John Townsend Boundaries in Marriage – Participant’s Guide (2002) Henry Cloud and John Townsend Boundaries: When to say Yes, When to Say No, To Take Control of Your Life (1992) Henry Cloud and John Townsend Where to Draw the Line: How to Set Healthy Boundaries Every Day (2000) Anne Katherine This is a link to information on parents and teens +...