When a former student dies, it’s always a sad few days for me, especially when an overdose is the cause. Thinking back over my interactions with him, his smile, that bug-collecting field trip where everyone was having a blast…I can’t help but think, what could have helped push this student further away from drugs and alcohol?
We want to highlight an organization that helps parents in the grips of a child or relative struggling with drugs. PAL, Parents of Addicted Loved Ones, is a non-profit based in Arizona that has in-person and online meetings each week across the US. Their mission: PAL provides hope, through education and support, to parents of addicted loved ones.
Their network of parents with weekly meetings is a grassroots approach to connecting parents new to this challenge to those who have been through the long journey of helping a loved one with addiction issues. We found local meetings in Utah and Wisconsin (our home states) within a 1 hr drive of our homes, and PAL offers Zoom meetings regularly as well for those further afield. Check our their website at: https://palgroup.org/