Family Addiction Network
A Compassionate Community for Families with Addiction
2021 Meetings
December 21st from 7:00 - 8:30 PM
at WEST LONG BRANCH COMMUNITY CENTER
116 Locust Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ
HOLIDAY MEETING
Last month we met and simply had time to relax and share with each other. It was so well received, we are going to do the same for our December meeting!
As we all know, the holidays can be chaotic, triggering and heartbreaking when you have been touched by addiction in a family member. Come and meet with people who understand from shared experience and who respond with compassion or a helping hand! We look forward to being together again.
Susan, Angela and Shanna
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November 16th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM
at WEST LONG BRANCH COMMUNITY CENTER
Locust Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ
CREATING GRATITUDE IN THE CHAOS
We are so excited!!!
ORIGINAL LOCATION!!!
WLB COMMUNITY CENTER
Our original home at WLB Community Center has completed their renovations
And we are welcomed back with open arms!!!
This month, we are changing it up a bit!
In lieu of a presenter, we will meet and greet each other with appreciation.
Time to share, support each other and create a sense of gratitude, during this month of Thanksgiving!
Since 2015, we have met once a month (less a few months during the pandemic) providing a safe space for family and friends of those suffering with addiction with the goal of feeling less alone. We are proud of the community we have created which is very open and inclusive. If you need support, please join us for this informal gathering.
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October 21st from 7:00 - 8:30 PM
at JBJ SOUL KITCHEN
207 Monmouth Street, Red Bank
We will be on the enclosed porch at JBJ, private and quiet!!
Consider having dinner there prior to the meeting!!
This month we are blessed to have this amazing man, Robert Carter from NJ Reentry come and share his story!
Robert Carter struggled with addiction for most of his young adult life. He was raised in a loving home where his father was a fireman and mother, a teacher’s aide. At a young age, he started experimenting with recreational drugs. As a result of his ongoing drug use, he eventually found himself faced with multiple incarcerations, several felony convictions, and extensive time spent
in two long term treatment facilities. He had a long road to recovery, but today he is 14 years sober.
Robert is now the Director of Operations at New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC). NJRC works to provide Second Chances for those returning from prison, jail, and addiction treatment. He oversees nine NJRC facilities including a training center located in Kearny, NJ. He is a primary point of contact for those needing addiction treatment and/or Medicated Assisted Treatment.
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September 21st from 7:00 - 9:00 PM
at JBJ SOUL KITCHEN
207 Monmouth Street, Red Bank
We are so honored to have the Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Lindsay Ashwal as our presenter this month. She will share the current initiatives coming out of the prosecutors office as well as offering a Q & A with you. She is truly interested in what the community’s needs are, and who better to ask than those of us living with or caring for someone who is struggling. Her bio is extensive, but worth the read, particularly the last sentence!!!
Assistant Prosecutor Lindsay Ashwal has been a criminal prosecutor for over 14 years. For the first decade of her career, she worked at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office specializing in violent, gang, special victims and child fatality prosecutions and trials where she was a Senior Assistant District Attorney. In December 2016, Lindsay joined the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office as an Assistant Prosecutor. She was assigned to the trial division before becoming the Drug Court prosecutor of Monmouth County, where she is currently assigned. As the Drug Court prosecutor, Lindsay works collaboratively with a Drug Court judge, public defender, private attorneys, probation officers, clinicians and providers to help rehabilitate individuals that have a moderate to severe substance use disorder in a community setting instead of their being sentenced to prison. Lindsay is also a member of the Monmouth County Overdose Fatality Review Team and is the Operation Helping Hands project manager for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. As the grant project manager, Lindsay helped create and oversees several prosecutor-led initiatives including diversion programs, a 24/7 Opioid Use Helpline 833-OHH-CARE that is staffed by certified peer recovery specialists, the Narcan Response Initiative, Monmouth County’s Overdose Awareness Day and the Safe Disposal of Prescription Drugs Initiative. AP Ashwal is a frequent guest speaker on several topics including Drug Court and prosecutor-led diversion programs, destigmatizing substance use disorders, crisis intervention training for police officers, as well as sexual assault on college campuses. Through Lindsay’s work, she hopes to help create a more compassionate conversation, both inside the courtroom and out in the community, so that more people and families will seek help and begin to heal.
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AUGUST MEETING - NEW LOCATION - NEW DAY and TIMES!
Join us TUESDAY August 24th from 7:00 - 9:00 PM
at JBJ SOUL KITCHEN
207 Monmouth Street, Red Bank
Easy Street parking and a short walk from the train station!
Same format, 20 - 30 minutes presentation and an hour to share
We are so happy to welcome back Phillip O’Hara, you may remember him from a previous meeting! He is quite inspiring and has a lot to share about how we, as family members, can best navigate the horror of addiction.
Philip is a former student athlete who had a promising future ahead of him. A simple trip to the dentist sent his life into a direction no one had suspected. A college wrestling career took a backseat to his opiate addiction. Doing whatever he needed to feed his addiction, Philip completely abandoned his moral compass. Doing whatever he needed to do to find the next high. After a 7 year battle with opiates, finding himself completely broken and alone, he finally made the call for help and hasn’t looked back.
Since finding recovery Philip has been certified as a recovery coach, certified peer recovery specialist, and has trained with world renowned Motivational Speaker Les Brown. Earning his certificate as a certified motivational speaker and coach through the Les Brown institute. It’s been Phil’s mission to share his story to educate both individuals and families of those struggling with Substance Use Disorder.
p.s. The restaurant will not be open, they are allowing us to use the space off hours....So Kind!!!
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NEW LOCATION - NEW DAY and TIME!
Join us THURSDAY July 22nd from 7:00 - 8:30
at JBJ SOUL KITCHEN
207 Monmouth Street, Red Bank
Easy Street parking and a short walk from the train station!
Same format, 20 - 30 minutes presentation and an hour to share
This month’s presenter is an amazing example of recovery in action! Nicole Dorrity struggled for 24 years with heroin and cocaine addiction. She picked up alcohol at the tender age of 13 and was using harder drugs by 17. She went through countless detoxes, was treated at 13 residential treatment centers and was in IOP for 6 years. There were also multiple incarcerations during her years in active addiction. Although she tortured her family, they always showed up for her, but in the end, her father and son were the 2 that stood by her. Other family and friends had to love her from afar. Nicole found recovery at 41 years of age and today considers herself fortunate enough to be able to be of service to others struggling with Addiction.
She currently serves as the community Coordinator for JBJ Soul Kitchen and is a trained Peer Recovery Specialist and Case Manager working with the Monmouth County STAR Program.
Nicole will share her story and particularly how the support of her family helped her toward her recovery!
If you would like to have dinner prior to the meeting, JBJ Soul Kitchen has awesome food and you pay what you can. The patrons who pay enable those less fortunate to have a free meal. Just let Nicole know when you get there that you will be staying for the Family Addiction Network meeting!
Feel free to reach out with any questions!
See you there...
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April 20, 2021
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, via ZOOM
(email familyaddictionnetwork@gmail.com for meeting code and password)
STAY CONNECTED and CHECK IN
For our April meeting we are so happy to have Carley Dietrick share her wisdom with us! Over the past year we have learned many things, but foremost is the need to stay connected with each other, in some way show up and make sure we are checking in with loved ones. We never know what a person we encounter is going through, even our own family members. Carley will share strategies for staying connected during these challenging times.
Carley is truly an amazing advocate for those still in the grip of addiction. She works as the Business Development Representative for Seacrest Recovery Center and is also the Addiction Navigator and Student Alliance Coordinator for Tigger House.
We hope you can join us for this presentation, which will be followed by our confidential sharing time.
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March 16, 2021
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, via ZOOM
(email familyaddictionnetwork@gmail.com for meeting code and password)
OPEN DISCUSSION
We hope to meet again in person sometime soon, but until then join us on zoom with folks who understand. Ask, share or just listen, you are not alone. This meeting is open to all and we hope you will join us!
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February 16, 2021
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, via ZOOM
(email familyaddictionnetwork@gmail.com for meeting code and password)
RULES AND BOUNDARIES - A DISCUSSION
Setting boundaries can be a daunting task, especially with someone in the grips of Substance Use Disorder. This month we are hosting a conversation!
Come and share your challenges, your concerns and what has worked for you or what hasn’t. Through open dialogue we can learn, grow and help create strategies while supporting each other…
We have not abandoned our usual format, but feel it might be nice to change it up! Sharing is appreciated but not mandatory… Hope to see you there!