Support Group Project
- Online Tool
- Community Resource
Many families report that participating in a support group helps them to better cope with their child’s addiction. This online directory brings together a strong community of support by allowing families to search through local support programs in targeted areas to find one that best fits them.
If you don’t find a support group in your area, check out the online groups that are available locally and nationwide. Check back often, as new groups are registered daily.
How to Use
Simply enter your zip code or location you are looking to find support in to find groups that are located within a 1 mile to 100 mile radius. Each group lists information about where, when, and how the group meets as well as contact information and directions, if appropriate.
Who Should Use
Any parent or loved one of a child struggling with substance-related problems can use this site to find a support group in their community. Whether you need a group that emphasizes support for parents or loved ones of children who have just started using drugs or alcohol; you’re trying to help a loved one in the midst of active addiction or early recovery; or are have lost your loved one to the disease of addiction and are looking for a group focused on bereavement; the directory will provide you with more information about the groups available in your community and online.
If you host a support group, use this site to register your group information so that a family in your community can find you too.
Scientific Background
Through initial surveys and focus groups, the Treatment Research Institute found that parents who participated in support groups benefited greatly, and those who hadn’t, wished that they had been able to locate a group more easily. While there is not a body of existing research about the specific benefits to parents from participation in support groups focused on a child’s substance use problems, there are multiple publications and citations that reference the importance of support groups for people concerned about another person’s substance use, as well as for parents caring for a child with a chronic illness, including the following:
