September 2007

When individuals or their loved ones have questions or concerns about their alcohol or other substance use, it can be difficult to know where to turn. For nearly three years, PAMF’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health has been providing a confidential, safe and open forum for people to get the information, support and resources they need.

Every Tuesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m., PAMF clinicians Meredith Brown, MFT, and Bruce Hill, LCSW, and Sequoia Center Medical Director Barry Rosen, M.D., gather at PAMF’s Palo Alto Clinic with substance users and loved ones of users to discuss how alcohol and/or chemical dependencies are impacting their lives. The drop-in group – offered at no charge to participants – is comprised of individuals from all walks of life and with a wide range of concerns about alcohol and drug use.

"We have many different types of individuals in the group, from those actively seeking or undergoing treatment to people who are just beginning to question whether they have a substance use problem to the family members of users who are concerned and don’t know where to turn," said Brown.

Hill said the group serves as a vital missing link between substance abuse and treatment. In this earliest of phases, individuals may not recognize that their substance use patterns are a cause for concern, or may not know where to turn to have their questions answered or to seek help.

"We want to create a safe place where people can receive information and ask, 'How do I know if I have a problem? What are the markers to help me decide that?'" he said, adding that the group engages participants in a process of self-reflection and increased awareness.

"[The group] has helped me refocus my lifestyle by seeing and hearing others who have similar or more serious problems," said one group participant who has struggled with alcohol and drug use throughout his adult life and has been sober for 16 months. "I’ve had success with this group over other addiction groups because it is smaller, and people get individual attention. And the other participants have provided me with incredible support that I can depend on. This is a path that continues to keep me on course."

The group is also beneficial to family members of users, who often feel lost and don’t know what to do to help their loved ones. Friends and family members learn to recognize the different stages of substance abuse and receive needed support. Group participants also benefit from hearing each others’ stories and experiences.

Speaking of one of the group’s alcoholic participants, Dr. Rosen said, "By listening to another group member whose husband was also abusing alcohol, this gentleman realized what his wife had been going through because of his addiction, and he got a very different perspective."

Registration is not required and participants, in order to ensure privacy and comfort, are invited to provide only their first name and do not have to be identified if they so choose. The group is open to PAMF patients, or relatives or friends of patients, and members of the community.

For more information, please contact the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at the Palo Alto Clinic at (650) 853-2904.