Heather Latter
Fort Frances Tribal Area Health Services is providing space for Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) meetings to start up here beginning next week.
“It doesn’t single out a group,” noted Mandi Olson, the Pre-treatment/After-care co-ordinator at the FFTAHS.
“If you are an individual whose parents were alcoholics, drug users, or even if you had a dysfunctional family system, those are the people who we are inviting out to the group,” she said.
ACA is a 12-step, 12-tradition program of men and women who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes.
Olson said the program was founded on the belief that family dysfunction is a disease that infected us as children and affects us as adults.
“It’s not limited to just an alcoholic or a drug user or a co-dependent person,” she stressed.
“It’s inclusive of that.
“Everyone in our family is involved in our using, in that dysfunctional family role, so the healing has to happen with the family, too, and that’s why we’re promoting these meetings,” she added.
Olson said after seeing the success of the other 12 step programs that happen in town, the FFTAHS thought it would try it.
“We thought we’ll give it a shot and see if this is something that the community needs,” she reasoned.
She noted there’s been a lot of talk about the ACA meetings, especially among participants in programming at FFTAHS.
“They have shared a lot about the illness being in the family so that is where it really came out of,” Olson said.
“What could we do to really give back to that family model of care—not just individual care but really connecting the families.”
Olson noted the meetings will take place each Tuesday at 7 p.m., beginning Oct. 6, at 601 King’s Highway.
“Initially the meetings will be facilitated by staff until we can get a chair list going,” she explained.
“Then the people who participate every week will be the individuals chairing it and people will just rotate because it is an anonymous group.”
Olson added it’s a lot of self-reflection and work where people share their experience and recovery in an atmosphere of mutual respect.
She said they will discover how alcoholism and other family dysfunction affected them in the past—and how it influences them in the present.
And by practising the 12 steps and focusing on the ACA solution, they can find freedom.
“It think it will be very successful,” Olson enthused. “The individuals I have spoke to already are very interested in coming.
“The people in our out-patient program are very interested in participating.”
Olson added all adults are welcome to attend.
“We’re asking that children and youth not attend because they can’t wrap their heads around the 12-step model and that reflection piece is so huge,” she reasoned.
But she’s urging those interested to give it a try.
“See if the program works for you,” she said.
“We’re excited be able to see the success, measure it, and be a part of the change for people, which is great.”
Olson noted they will have 12-step books and a “strengthening your journey” reflection book available there, so people don’t have to order it from the U.S.
For more info, call Olson at 274-2042.
