I've gone to a few meetings to help with addiction in my family, and it's been tremendously helpful. 

I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to say it: I'm dealing with an addict in my family. And it's horrible. My sister and I have been trying to get them help, and it's created some real fighting within my family. People who I was once close to have stopped speaking to me. It's affecting me, Pat, our son and our extended family. It's painful. In fact, we're not going home for the holidays because of it. 

To deal with the stress of this, I started looking for support groups in the area. It's hard, because the addict in my family doesn't live here, but I deal with it on my own every day. So, to find a local group of people who understand what I'm going through, that can talk me through it and encourage me, has been amazing.

Families Against Narcotics and Nar-Anon meetings have helped a LOT of people. 

I apologize for NOTHING. I've done what I've had to do to get said addict help, but you can't force anybody to get help. I've had to make peace with that - addiction doesn't discriminate by race, religion, income, etc. There's a wide-range of people in our Families Against Narcotics group...people who never thought they'd deal with, or lose somebody to addiction, but here they are.

Addiction is an epidemic. Genesee County alone has had more than 50 overdose deaths this year...and 2016 isn't over yet. This isn't an inclusive problem anymore. These meetings have been incredibly helpful to me - it's a support group. It's made me feel less crazy, less callous, and more understanding of the problems that are associated with addiction.

Unfortunately, due to politics, it's hard for them to get the word out about their group. So, I'm doing what I can. Even if this helps just ONE PERSON. Addicts, parents of addicts, children of addicts all come to our meetings.

I've found a lot of solace within this group, and maybe you will, too.

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