Family Addiction Network
A Compassionate Community for Families with Addiction
Opinions of presenters do not necessarily reflect those of the Family Addiction Network.
PLEASE NOTE: For information on past meetings, please go to the Past Meetings page.
2025 Meetings
💜 MEET US ON THE BEACH!!! 💜
🌞 Join us as we take advantage of the last month of summer! 🌞
For our August meeting we will meet on the beach 🏖️
For a picnic and sharing! Bring a chair and a blanket! 🏝️
When: August 19th from 7-8:30pm
Where: North End Beach, Long Branch
Enter just north of Seven Presidents Park, at the end of Avenel Blvd.
BYO snack or dinner! 🥪
☀️ We hope to see you and share some relaxing time together!! ☀️
In the event of inclement weather, we will meet at La Scarpettas 🍕
(TBD the day of!)
We will resume our usual format in September!!
See you soon!!!
♥️💛💚
Tuesday September 16th - 7:00 -8:30pm
West Long Branch Community Center
115 Locust Ave., W Long Branch, NJ
💜💜💜
For Recovery Month, we are pleased to welcome Jamie Munson to share her story of loss, recovery and hope!
Jamie grew up in Long Branch, raised with love by two amazing parents alongside her older sister. But life took a heartbreaking turn—her sister, after years of struggling with addiction, passed away from an overdose four years ago.
In the midst of grief and another traumatic event, Jamie turned to alcohol as a way to cope. What started long before her sister’s passing grew into a dangerous cycle.
On 6/6/24, Jamie made a life-changing decision: she entered inpatient treatment and spent 80 days rebuilding herself. Since then, she’s discovered something powerful—her purpose.
Recovery wasn’t easy. It meant walking away from a 26-year career and making radical changes. But what she’s built on the other side is extraordinary: a stronger connection with her husband, her two boys, and most importantly, herself.
Now, Jamie shares her story to help others:
“I want my sobriety to have purpose. I want families living with addiction to know they’re not alone. I want people struggling to understand both the challenges and the incredible rewards of recovery.”
Jamie’s story is one of resilience, transformation, and hope.
Hope to see you there!!!
___________________________________________________________
Tuesday July 15h - 4:30 -8:30pm
West Long Branch Community Center
115 Locust Ave., W Long Branch, NJ
In Lieu of our regular meeting
Something different for July...
You may remember last year at one of our meetings we participated in a survey for the Family Success Institute. Well, they are on the next leg of their community action program and are offering this event, which falls on the same day as our usual meeting, so we are planning to go in lieu of our July meeting. We will resume our Family Addiction Network meeting in August (We may have a beach meeting!!!), stay tuned...
In the meantime, we would love if you can join us here:
You are invited to join the Family Success Institute at the Community Action Forum Regional Meeting for Jersey Shore’s northern region! Participants will receive community leadership and advocacy training, engage in an expert-led Design Thinking exercise, and connect with other community members from their region over a meal! All participants will receive a $60 stipend gift card to support their attendance.
Tuesday, July 15
4:30pm - 8:30pm
Brookdale Community College
765 Newman Springs Rd, Lincroft, NJ 07738
Must register in advance at this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1daZmTCYbL3OhppzZ3iPPUFjLJseWfyfg/view
Tuesday June 17h - 7:00 -8:30pm
West Long Branch Community Center
115 Locust Ave., W Long Branch, NJ
From Turmoil to Calm - A Moms Journey
We are happy to welcome Colleen Smith-Fay to share her story of hope!
From her own experiences with other family members who struggled with addiction, to her persistence in getting her son the help he needed, Colleen’s story is one that most of us can relate to. At the same time, she brings unique insight into the tenacity it takes to weather the storm of addiction when it takes hold of your child.
Colleen is a massage therapist with a specialty in infant massage, teaching parents how to provide comfort and safety to their babies! She is also a Shaklee representative, helping people live better lives through good nutrition!
We hope you can join us for this heartfelt presentation!
Tuesday March 18th - 7:00 -8:30pm
West Long Branch Community Center
115 Locust Ave., W Long Branch, NJ
LONG BRANCH PUBLIC LIBRARY, SOCIAL WORK AND MORE!
Learn about the wonderful services available to you and your family, at the Long Branch Public Library! Read on.....
We are delighted to introduce you to David Perez, Social Worker at the Long Branch Free Public Library! David is well known and respected in the community and has a wealth of knowledge as well as many years of experience in social work, helping people receive the support and services they need to thrive in life. Of the many programs available through the library, that David oversees is Fresh Start, a reentry program designed to help individual transition back into the community after incarceration. Participants receive 1:1 sessions, assistance building resumes, Help with job search and assistance with housing, healthcare, food and more. He is also a hub of resources directing people to whatever they need to receive treatment and recovery support!
He is the first social worker hired directly by a public library in the state of New Jersey. David received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Healthcare Management from American Intercontinental University and his Master of Social Work with a concentration in International and Community Development from Monmouth University. David is a non-tenured faculty member of the Rutgers University School of Social Work as a Practicum Instructor for social work interns. He is also a field supervisor for both Monmouth and Rutgers Universities. As an intern, he took the lead on creating the barbershop literacy program, Fade to Books. The program was such a success in Long Branch, NJ, that the New Jersey State Library decided to adopt the pilot program and introduce it statewide by offering a grant to public libraries in order to duplicate the program in their municipalities. David has written a chapter on library social work that was published in the 5th edition of “Days in the Lives of Social Workers”. David is one of the original members of the PLA Social Work Task Force. David is the current president of the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) Social Work section. His work is cited in many library and social work publications.
David Perez, MSW - Bilingual Library Social Worker
Social Work & Diversity Services Manager Long Branch Free Public Library
328 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ, 07740 (732)222-3900 ext. 2290 dperez@longbranchlib.org
Tuesday March 18th - 7:00 -8:30pm
West Long Branch Community Center
115 Locust Ave., W Long Branch, NJ
LONG BRANCH PUBLIC LIBRARY, SOCIAL WORK AND MORE!
Learn about the wonderful services available to you and your family, at the Long Branch Public Library! Read on.....
We are delighted to introduce you to David Perez, Social Worker at the Long Branch Free Public Library! David is well known and respected in the community and has a wealth of knowledge as well as many years of experience in social work, helping people receive the support and services they need to thrive in life. Of the many programs available through the library, that David oversees is Fresh Start, a reentry program designed to help individual transition back into the community after incarceration. Participants receive 1:1 sessions, assistance building resumes, Help with job search and assistance with housing, healthcare, food and more. He is also a hub of resources directing people to whatever they need to receive treatment and recovery support!
He is the first social worker hired directly by a public library in the state of New Jersey. David received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Healthcare Management from American Intercontinental University and his Master of Social Work with a concentration in International and Community Development from Monmouth University. David is a non-tenured faculty member of the Rutgers University School of Social Work as a Practicum Instructor for social work interns. He is also a field supervisor for both Monmouth and Rutgers Universities. As an intern, he took the lead on creating the barbershop literacy program, Fade to Books. The program was such a success in Long Branch, NJ, that the New Jersey State Library decided to adopt the pilot program and introduce it statewide by offering a grant to public libraries in order to duplicate the program in their municipalities. David has written a chapter on library social work that was published in the 5th edition of “Days in the Lives of Social Workers”. David is one of the original members of the PLA Social Work Task Force. David is the current president of the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) Social Work section. His work is cited in many library and social work publications.
David Perez, MSW - Bilingual Library Social Worker
Social Work & Diversity Services Manager Long Branch Free Public Library
328 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ, 07740 (732)222-3900 ext. 2290 dperez@longbranchlib.org
Tuesday February 18th - 7:00 -8:30pm
West Long Branch Community Center
115 Locust Ave., W Long Branch, NJ
RECOVERY and RELATIONSHIP
♥️🥰Love is in the air.....🥰♥️
February signifies Love for many…but what does love and relationship look like for someone in recovery? That is the theme of this month’s meeting.
We are thrilled to have our favorite couple, to share their experiences in recovery and how it has related to their ongoing relationship! Whether you have met Rachel and Cam at previous meetings or will be meeting them for the first time, they are worth the trip out to hear their perspectives on their individual stories and their experiences as a couple!
Both Rachel and Cameron are in long term recovery and are dedicated to helping each other maintain their recovery. Rachel graduated from the recovery diversion program in long Branch a couple of years ago and Cameron recently graduated from the Monmouth County Drug Court. She currently is working as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist at Hope Sheds Light in Manasquan, NJ. Cameron works as a project manager for a local roofing company, while also being of service to friends and family.
This meeting is open to all!
Bring yourself, a friend or a loved one, but don’t miss this very special presentation and gathering!!!
Tuesday January 21st - 7:00 -8:30pm
West Long Branch Community Center
115 Locust Ave., W Long Branch, NJ
FINDING AND MAINTAINING RECOVERY - AVAILABLE SERVICES
We are looking forward to starting the year off learning about current trends in treatment and recovery services and our first meeting of 2025 will be packed with lots of helpful information! We are happy to have Jennifer Luyster, Assistant Director of Clinical Services for Barnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery (IFPR). If you do not know what the IFPR is or what they do, or even if you think you know, then this meeting is for you!!
We are fortunate to have a local medical center that invests so much in helping people with substance use disorder to find and maintain recovery. Jennifer has a wealth of knowledge about recovery and the programs available to help your person get the most from the services offered through IFPR and beyond!
Here is more about her:
Jennifer Luyster is an Assistant Director of Clinical Services for Barnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the Peer Recovery Program Southern team of Patient Navigators and Support Team for Addiction Recovery Southern team of Case Managers. Patient Navigators screen individuals seeking treatment and recovery support services and help link them to services. She has over twenty years of experience in the field of substance use working for non-profit and for-profit agencies, private practice, and a statewide youth helpline. Most recently, she served as the Director of the Monmouth County Intoxicated Driver Resource Center. Prior to that, she was the Coordinator for both the Substance Use Program for Women and the 2ND FLOOR Youth Helpline at 180 Turning Lives Around, the domestic violence agency for Monmouth County. Jennifer earned a master's degree in Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She also is a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC), Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS), Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) and Disaster Response Crisis Counselor for Monmouth County.
See you there!