The Mom Of An Addict Bringing Meetings To Warsaw To Support Families
The Mom Of An Addict Bringing Meetings To Warsaw To Support Families
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
The Mom Of An Addict Bringing Meetings To Warsaw To Support FamiliesTwo mothers of recovering addicts, who formed The Mom of an Addict in Fort Wayne to offer hope to other families, are bringing their meetings to Warsaw.
Meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 27 at Pathway Church, door 1, 2402 W. Old 30, Warsaw. The meetings at The Chapel, 2505 W. Hamilton Road South, Fort Wayne, are at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays.
The Mom of an Addict provides education and support to families who have been affected by a loved one’s substance abuse disorder.
Founder and CEO Jennifer Hope’s son tried alcohol for the first time when he was 16.
“This is a genetic disease that runs in my family, and it pulled him down very quickly, so he was in active addiction for about seven years. And during that time, I felt very scared, lonely – just like Jeni (Streeter). Isolated. We didn’t know who to tell. We didn’t want to be judged. We didn’t want our child to be judged. We thought we were the only ones going through this. I know I often wondered what did I do wrong as a parent,” Hope, of Fort Wayne, said in an interview Thursday at Jeni’s Warsaw home.
When Hope and Jeni met at a certified recovery coach class through A Bridge To Hope, a recovery resource center, they had a bond as Jeni is the mother of Tommy Streeter, a recovering heroin addict who now helps addicts on their road to recovery.
“Unless you’ve had to tell your child, ‘You can’t live here,’ knowing they’re homeless, you just can’t relate,” Hope said. “So we formed this organization (The Mom of an Addict) because we want to offer to parents what would have been helpful to us, which is education about what’s really going on. Learning what we can and can not control. And providing a place where you just don’t feel alone.”
She said most of the people who come to the meetings are parents. “Not just moms. We have dads, we have spouses, siblings, children. All family members,” Hope said.
Jeni said, “We had so many parents contact us from this area, but coming to Fort Wayne on a weeknight was tough for them, with school children and working. A lot of them try, but just weren’t able to make that drive. So I think that we have enough interest now that we could support another full meeting here in Warsaw, so that’s what we’re doing.”
At Mom of an Addict’s first meeting in Fort Wayne, Hope said they had about 65 people show up.
“We would have been happy with 10. We didn’t know what to expect,” Jeni said. “And we ran out of room and people were sitting outside the room, in the hallway. We were just like, ‘Wow.’”
Hope said, “There’s a huge lack of family support options.”
Jeni said that for people who can pay for it, there is counseling and therapists available, but not everyone can afford it. “This is just another option,” she said. Hope said many go to a therapist, as well as attend the meetings.
At a meeting, Jeni explained, there is a 20-25 minute educational component. Depending on what the topic is that week, a short video may be shown or some facts and information may be presented on the topic. Then there’s approximately an hour of share time.
“So, we would break into small groups, or just stay as one big group. Some of the moms come every week, so we just can’t wait to see them every week to hear how they’re doing. But others are new, so maybe the moms that attend more will speak first. It’s just support by moms for moms,” Jeni said. “I have said before, I think when moms get together, they can honestly change the world.”
Jeni said the organization has helped her and Hope as much as it helps the other moms. “It just makes us feel like we didn’t go through everything we did for nothing,” she said.
“I can easily fall back into old patterns of thinking. And it helps me constantly remember I’m not alone. I’m not the only parent. This wasn’t something I could control, though we tried for a long time. And it’s just kind of humbling to me that these people trust us each week with the most horrifying secrets and details of their life,” Hope said.
“And I think we both know that we don’t take one second for granted, that both of our sons are happy, healthy and doing wonderful. We don’t take that for granted for one second,” Jeni said.
Hope said The Mom of an Addict meetings are designed for anyone. They’re not closed meetings.
“We have speakers come in. We have people share their recovery stories, like Tommy,” Hope said.
Jeni said people look forward to the speakers, which have included “some great doctors, Captain Hunter from the (Fort Wayne) police department.” Topics cover “things that anyone in that group could be going through.” Speakers are invited about once a month to the weekly meetings.
Hope said The Mom of an Addict is in collaboration with Fellowship Missions, the Warsaw homeless shelter. “It’s still our program. They’re a proponent of it,” Hope said.
Asked about long-term goals for The Mom of an Addict, Hope said, “I can’t sit here and say, ‘We have these plans to do this or that or this.’ But I remember how I felt and I know there are hundreds of thousands of parents all over feeling that way. And whether they get support from us or find out about something else, I just want them to be reached.”
Jeni said there are talks in Fort Wayne about having additional meetings at different locations.
“We have a 20-lesson curriculum, and we are working with Mason Geiger here in town. He’s going to be producing a video series for us, so we can more quickly and efficiently start new meetings,” Hope said.
She stated they are not trying to take the place of counselors, therapists or doctors. “We’re just another option,” she said.
“If you’re a mom of an addict, we know how you feel. Come talk to us, or come listen,” Jeni said.
Tommy said, “I think the most important thing is that there’s not anything like this in Warsaw. If there are Al-Anon meetings in Warsaw, I don’t know when they are and I’m guessing a lot of people probably don’t either. ... I know how many people in the community need something like this so I’m glad it’s coming here.”
To learn more about The Mom of an Addict, visit the Instagram or Facebook page or the website at www.themomofanaddict.org.
Hope can be contacted by phone at 260-209-4686, and Jeni can be reached at 574-213-2876.
“Every week, we say there’s always hope,” Hope said. “Because we have parents who are attending our meeting who have lost their child. But we just want to encourage someone that, no matter what your situation is today, there is hope.”
