YARMOUTH – The founder of a support group for families dealing with addiction spoke at an event at Yarmouth Police Headquarters on Tuesday night.
Learn to Cope founder Joanne Peterson explained how the organization is there for families if they need help with addiction issues.
“The meetings are important for families to get support, education, resources and hope, a lot of times people suffer in silence at home,” said Peterson.
According to the group, the number of participants have been low at meetings despite the spread of the opiate epidemic on Cape Cod.
To re-introduce the meeting to the public, the group held the event on Tuesday as an open house to the community.
“It’s a family disease so if the family doesn’t get better, along with their loved one, recovery really doesn’t come in straight paths,” said Kim Leman, Regional Director for Cape and Islands Learn to Cope.
The meetings are held every Tuesday for 90 minutes at Yarmouth Police Headquarters.
“These families that have members that are addicted to opioids often feel alone and separated from other members of society because of the unique issues they have to face day to day with someone in their family,” said Yarmouth selectman Michael Stone.
Those who attend can also receive a free Narcan supply and training.
“They provide a service to people who may not have the skills to deal with people who are in their family that are affected with addiction,” said Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson.
For more information, go to learn2cope.org.
By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
