Wow, reading some of these stories is like reading about my son & me.  My anger is so intense!!!  I am angry with him & angry with his dad for introducing the drugs & alcohol to him.  My son was sheltered & over-protected all his life… until dad came back into his life.  Now for the past 5 years the fear of my son dying is as real as the air I breathe & it is not fair!!  Why would anyone do this to their own child ?? All I can do is pray to God that my son wants help & wants to live & see his daughter grow up. I pray that God gives him the strength to fight this addiction.

Comment from the Director:

You are suffering terribly. I hear that. Each family situation is unique and yet the terrible pain brought on by addiciton is the same. When you say that, “All I can do is pray…” I wonder whether or not there is more than can be done.  We know of many, many families that have asked us the question, “well what else can we do?”  In almost every case, we have found that there is a lot we can do.  Loved ones get better faster if the famly becomes involved.  Consider call our admission department…ask them, “is there something else you can do?”  You might find out the phone call can be the first step in discovering “Yes!  There is something I can do!”  Sincerely,  The director.

I enjoyed meeting Yvonne Kaye today with Alan introducing her at the Family Education meeting.  Both the Alan and Yvonne were sensitive to the needs of Family Ed audience.  Penn Foundation’s concept is simple & radical, to involve the family of the addicted individual, and help clarify their role in treatment and recovery.

Recommended reading:
Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction
It depicts father-son anguish, with first-person-narrative and how ADDICTION impacts an entire family.

For the first time in a long time I find myself sitting down and not having to worry every second of every day if my son is coming home.   And when he does come home will he be coherent or combative or worse, non responsive.  My son is only a few days in a recovery house, but I can hear in his voice he is nervous and a little scared but he is trying - something he hasn’t done in a long time. He called this afternoon to say he had a sponsor and when I hung up the phone I cried, not tears of sorrow, but joy.  I have Penn Foundation to thank for that.

He has been to rehab three times.  The first facility was not family or patient oriented, it was more of a “factory”, come in and we’ll fix you, it didn’t work.

But then someone was looking out for us because we found Penn Foundation. I feel like I found a family, one that listens, one that supports, and one that cares not only about their patients but about the patient’s families.

I know I have a long haul ahead of me, and my son has even a longer one. But knowing that I can pick up the phone any day and know I can get help has given me a new outlook on life. I just wanted to say THANK YOU!!!

I specially want to thank Alan for all his continued support.

I wanted to commend you, as Director, for the wonderful job the Recovery Center does for the addict and for the addict’s family.

My son was in-patient there and received caring, professional care.  Dr. Newton restored his (and our) faith in psychiatry, and his counselor made a real connection with him.  My son is now living at a halfway house in Lititz where he seems to be getting continued help in his recovery and we are cautiously hopeful.

The Family Education Program is outstanding and specifically has helped my husband and I through a very traumatic time for our family.  To know we were not alone any longer in working through this despair was overwhelming. We have never met more compassionate, committed people to help us through this ordeal.

Thank you again for the wonderful job you do!!

We usually hear our 2 year olds strongly exerting their independence by loudly declaring “I can do it myself!!”.  We watch them try and fail, then cry with determination the second, third and fourth time “I can do it myself!!”.

I am the proud mother of an alcoholic/addict who has just realized, with your help, that he can not overcome his addiction alone.  The most difficult time I have ever faced, with any of my 3 children, has been watching my son declare “I can do it myself” while trying to overcome his addiction.  It is painful to see your child, grown or young, learn by paying the penalty for his/her choices in life.   This experience becomes “extremely” painful when they repeat this “lie” over and over again, leaving more and more wounds.  These wounds are physical and psychological. Guilt, guilt, guilt is the biggest, badest and most unforgiving of these.  But, we must stay strong, resilient and wise for the sake of our childrens’ lives.  I must say, I have never prayed so hard and so long than for this child of mine.

I was very blessed to have wise counsel from Addiction Counselors and a very special Psychiatrist at Penn Foundation Recovery Center.  The most comforting, supportive and wise counselor was our God.  God’s comfort, and the supports He gave us, allowed my husband and I to stay on the course for our son’s long, long journey home.

They helped me to understand that there is something you can do. There are ways to make treatment the only option.  Do not support any of their actions that will enable them to continue in their addiction!!  Do not offer financial help, it will only go to their addiction!!  Do not offer a place to live if they have lost housing due to their addiction!!

My precious son has just completed his inpatient program at Penn Foundation and is now participating in outpatient treatment.  He is attending an AA meeting every day.  He has learned to identify his “triggers”, accepts this is a life long endeavor and works on his recovery “one day at a time”.

We all need to remember and work at practicing that little piece of wisdom with great reward - “One day at a time”.

Hello.  I just wanted to thank you for having your place there.  My sister has been there for the last 28 days, now she is getting ready to go to a halfway house in Lancaster.  It has been a interesting experience visiting every sunday and attending Family Education Class.  The counselors, addictions technicians and all staff have been so supportive.  Being a family member, I have just found your program amazing - so I just wanted to thank you.

I wanted to let you know that I would be willing to speak at your Autumn Event to strees how important it is to support Penn Foundation.  I would be willing to do this especially since I’ve had a sister there.

I’m praying that she is going to make it, the counselors tell me that she is doing really great.  She really wants this change.

It has been a hard thing to take - the alcohol and drugs.  My sister has 2 kids aged 15 and 16 and it has been very hard on them.  They are happy that she is doing so well now.

It has been an awesome experience to be a part of her treatment.  What Penn Foundation does to help everyone and the support you offer is amazing.

As parents of a young adult with addiction issues, we were delighted when our son completed his first full year as a sober person.  Our joy was nothing compared to the joy he experienced.   He walked the walk and followed the 12 step program and while we were supportive of him during that time, we recognized that during those days, weeks, months and then years of early recovery, just about anything can happen that can derail the progress the addicted has made during his walk along the “Long and Winding Road.”

Addiction issues hit your family like a violent storm.   You may not get advanced warning, but you seek shelter and advice on how to weather the many issues that your family will face.   Penn Foundation Recovery Center provided an excellent shelter with resources and programs that helped us work through the problem.   Our son found help and began the basic steps he needed to begin his recovery.   Was the process perfect? Sadly, no, because humans will sometimes fail to follow and hold to the things that will keep them sober, but the good news is that resources are there to help the addicted find there way along the path to sobriety.

Our journey continues and as parents we want others to know that you must support those you love and care about and help them see they have a purpose in life.   Our son has told us several times that if we did not take the firm stands against his drug and alcohol life style he may have decided to end his life.   We were not going to let that happen.