CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Addiction is commonly referred to as a family disease because the mental, physical and social impacts of drug and alcohol abuse extend to the entire family. From the closest relative to the most distant, no one is immune to the reach of addiction.
A leader in substance abuse and mental health treatment services in Southern Utah, Hope Rising Detox & Rehabilitation offers many resources to help addicts help themselves. While family members are encouraged to become part of their recovery journey, Hope Rising has also created a free, weekly family support group as a safe space for those loved ones to focus on themselves.
The group is led by volunteers Dawn Hendrickson and Cyndi Schmidt, who have nearly 20 years of combined experience with family support groups. Both are mothers of someone struggling with substance abuse and understand the unique challenges their loved ones go through.
“There are so many family members that don’t know where to go,” Hendrickson said. “But you’re not alone.”
As group leaders, Hope Rising provides Hendrickson and Schmidt the freedom to simply be there for anyone who’s struggling, and they’re prepared to meet each person where they’re at. If someone just needs to cry and vent, the group will listen. Some people need help setting boundaries with an addicted family member, while others feel guilty and are seeking reassurance after setting those boundaries.
Group members share experiences, learn from each other’s stories and uplift and empower one another. But most importantly, the group teaches people about self-care and ways to begin the healing process amid the chaos of addiction.
“We need to fix ourselves while our addict is fixing themselves,” Hendrickson said.
Hendrickson is currently raising her 9-year-old grandson due to his parents’ substance abuse issues. Through the support group, she has met three other sets of grandparents with similar circumstances.
“It’s helped me a lot knowing I’m not the only one,” she said. “The group helps you connect with people that are walking in your same shoes.”
When Schmidt went to a family support group for the first time 10 years ago, she was broken. Her daughter was struggling with addiction, and she didn’t understand how to navigate a world turned upside down. She credits that group with saving her life, and those experiences fueled her passion to help others in the community who are facing the same challenges.
“I’m very committed to family support because I know how important it was to me,” she said. “We’re as affected by addiction as the addict, but I feel like the family gets forgotten. I’m there to tell them they’re not forgotten.”
The support group welcomes people with loved ones at any stage of their journey through addiction and recovery – whether they’re in a crisis, enrolled in treatment, have relapsed or are working toward sobriety. Some members keep attending even though their loved one is a few years into recovery because they continue to find value in the support system the group offers.
Being the parent, spouse, sibling or child of an addict comes with stigma, guilt and shame. Schmidt said it’s impossible for someone to truly understand what these family members experience unless they’ve been down that road themselves with someone they love, and that’s why resources like the support group are so critical.
“I know there are parents out there that feel alone, embarrassed, ashamed and don’t realize there are resources that can help them,” she added. “That’s why I volunteer and do what I do.”
Hope Rising’s family support group is free and open to the public. Anyone with a loved one struggling with substance abuse may attend. Group sessions are held every Wednesday from 5:30-7 p.m.
Even when it seems all hope is lost, it’s not too late to come out of the darkness of addiction and into the light of recovery. Breaking the shackles of drug and alcohol abuse and finding purpose again is possible with the help of the compassionate staff at Hope Rising.
Life after addiction begins at Hope Rising. If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse, call 435-632-3335 or visit HopeRisingRecovery.com.
Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News.
• S P O N S O R E D C O N T E N T •
Resources
- Hope Rising Detox & Rehabilitation | Address: 865 W. 100 North, Hurricane, or 671 S. 1000 East, St. George | Telephone: 435-632-3335 or 435-215-7533 | Email: [email protected] | Website.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.