We know that alcoholism is a disease that affects the entire family. Regardless of whether or not your alcoholic loved one is getting help, our Family Support Group assists family members and loved ones to better understand their alcoholic’s disease. All men and women are welcome to attend our meetings on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM. This group is open to any family member or loved one struggling to cope.
Meet Maggie’s Family Support Volunteers
We asked our Family Support volunteers, who we are so very grateful for, why they became involved in The Magdalen House. Here’s what they had to say:
“I became involved with Family Support when my daughter was a client at The Magdalen House. I was overwhelmed with frustration and fear, and knew I needed help for myself. Family Support provided me with the information I needed to be able to find serenity.
I remain active in Maggie’s Family Support because I want to give to others that which was so freely given to me – the knowledge that I am not alone, that I could restore a fractured relationship, that I could lovingly set boundaries and learn to celebrate the whole person rather than being fixated on trying to control the disease. It is a privilege for me to share my experience, strength, and hope with others in this way.”
– Judy Cogan
“I received so much when I went to my son’s family weekend when he was in treatment, and I wanted to give back what was given to me!
I keep coming back because of my Family Support sisters who I work with each week. We are shoulder to shoulder in how we work and carry the message of a 12-Step program for those of us who love an alcoholic. And, I come back because of the wonderful families that I’m blessed to meet and share my experience with. I see first-hand, all the hard work that The Magdalen House provides for the women who suffer from this disease. I believe in their peer to peer philosophy because I see how many women benefit it.”
– Deborah Tomlinson
“I wanted to be involved at The Magdalen House because I felt like it saved my family, and I wanted to give back to other families what we had been given.
I keep coming back because I want to make sure that other families know that they are not alone. That is the way I felt when I was going through this, and I did not have hope that it would get better. I feel like coming to Maggie’s every week for the other families provides education for them on the disease, an insight that they are not alone in this journey, and hope – that things can and do get better.”
– Laurie Evans
“I wanted to be involved because it was such an authentic group of people together sharing their stories and offering help. I loved the small group, the warm feel to it, and the hope they provided! It made me stay and want to spread that to more people.
I kept coming back to The Magdalen House to help others going through what I went through as a family member of an alcoholic. Also, the people in Maggie’s Family Support group are an amazing group, and they are people I miss when I can’t make it for a while. I am truly blessed to know them and learn from and through them!”
– Lauren M.
“I became involved at The Magdalen House by attending weekly Family Support meetings and helping with holiday celebrations. After attending my first Anniversary Party, I was so impressed with how many lives are touched and changed by the programs offered at Maggie’s that I wanted to continue to be a part of them. I now serve on the Board of Directors in the role of advocacy and help represent Maggie’s in the community.
It is such a privilege to provide hope to family members who are struggling by sharing with them that I have been right where they are and, as a result of working the steps and having a spiritual experience, I can be happy whether my alcoholic loved one is drinking or not.”
– Diane Brooks
There is a Solution for Family Members, Too
Our weekly family support meetings are open to anyone with a friend or loved one suffering from alcoholism – this meeting is a place to receive wisdom and hope from family and friends who have had the same experiences. Your alcoholic does not need to be a part of The Magdalen House’s First Step Program in order for them to attend our Family Support Group.
Visit The Magdalen House any Wednesday at 6:30pm or learn more on the Family Support page.
