At Crossroads for Women, we get phone calls and emails from friends and family members concerned about a loved one's drug or alcohol addiction all the time. Some ask how they can get the woman they love into treatment. Some are looking for support groups. Others want to find out more about what addiction is. Many are just trying to cope with the effects of living with a substance abuser.

Too often, it's the people that are closest to the addicted person that are left in the background. Addiction affects everyone close to the addict - family, friends, co-workers. To address this problem, Crossroads for Women offers services for those friends and family members that are affected by a loved one's addiction. The Outpatient Program offers support, education and counseling designed specifically for family and friends of women and men who struggle with addiction, regardless of their choices around treatment.

On October 2nd, the agency is offering its popular educational series, “The Effects of Addiction on Friends & Family," to anyone in the Greater Portland (Maine) area who has a loved one with a substance abuse problem, male or female, who may or may not be in treatment. The 4-week educational series explores the basics of addiction, the recovery process and how to be supportive of the loved one while also taking care of you. Find out more about the series.

Do you have an employee that might benefit from this series?
Crossroads for Women also offers hour long information sessions on the effects of addiction on friends and family members to aid organizations in educating their employees about such services. For more information on these services or the educational series, call 207.773.9931 or email Crossroads for Women.

Other Resources
The Effects of Addiction on Friends and Family
A Loved One's Alcohol and Drug Addiction Affects Family and Friends Too
Alcoholism is a Family Disease
Al-Anon and Alateen Website