You are not
Parents with an adult child dealing with substance use disorder involving either drugs or alcohol find hope and support through Parents of Addicted Loved Ones (PAL). Meetings are available all over the country, and lives are being changed every day. It’s not an easy journey, but you don’t have to go at it alone.
Find Hope.
Three parents.
Three journeys just like yours.
“Finding out that a loved one is using drugs or alcohol can be difficult. There can be a lot of lying and denial. Once you know for sure, the next question is: What now?“
Kevin B.
There have been times that my sons made me so proud and other times it was impossible for me to even pick out a birthday card for them because none of the cards fit the way I really felt.
Jack M.
We are parents of a 28-year-old son who struggles with alcohol abuse and mental illness that he was diagnosed with at a young age…
Claudia S.
You are not alone.
To have a child lost to alcohol or drug addiction is to suffer a thousand deaths. The more you try to save them from their addiction the more it burns a hole in your heart. Watching their light fall away into darkness, you enter your own world of pain. But while you may feel stranded by fear and confusion, you are not alone.
We’ve been there.
PAL is a nonprofit that provides hope through education and support to parents of adults dealing with substance use disorder.
The free weekly meetings follow evidence-based practices, and the curriculum used is designed specifically for parents by professionals in the treatment and recovery industry. Each session includes:
- An educational component that offers tools for parents to use when to trying to save a son or daughter from addiction, including ways to help them in a healthy way rather than enable their addiction.
- A time for parents to interact, sharing what has worked – and has not worked – for them in their community.
Not only is the physical and emotional health of parents improved, but in many cases their adult addicted loved one is led to seek recovery. Researchers from Northern Arizona University have studied PAL and determined that after participating in the PAL program:
- Parents’ wellbeing improved.
- Parents decreased their tendency to engage in enabling and co-dependency behaviors.
- PAL participants’ addicted loved ones were less likely to misuse substances.
Hope Direct to Your Inbox
Sign up to receive hopeful insights and stories from PAL group members and leaders. You’re not in this alone. Keep that in mind always.
Hope, Help and Stories. Read On.
Our blog contains stories from the PAL monthly eNewsletter. We feature columns by parents like you, by counselors, and by people in recovery. They offer ongoing sources of information, insight, and hope.
Estar presente en el momento
Me siento con mi hijo en el reborde de ladrillos de nuestro jardín para tomar un poco de aire fresco. El contempla la vibrante planta verde de tomate frente a nosotros y la golpea sin precisión con sus manos aún torpes, tratando de agarrar las hojas. Un girasol colosal se...
Being present in the moment
I’m present. I’m home sick and have been up all night with a 7-month-old baby but I’m present. Some vitamin B and coffee combined with the exhaustion are creating an odd hyper awareness in me but it’s ok and I’m here for it. I sit with my son out back on the brick ledge of our...
Es un proceso
Soy una mamá PAL, soy una creyente agradecida en Jesús, soy la esposa de un maravilloso hombre de Dios y soy madre de cuatro hijos (mi esposo es el padrastro de mis hijos). Mi segundo hijo mayor, Christopher*, siempre ha sido extremadamente brillante....
Special Thanks to Our Donors and Partners
Special Thanks to Our Donors and Partners
