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MOMSTELL Founder Sharon L. Smith helped to organize the “ Families of Youth with Substance Use Addiction: A National Dialogue”. With support from SAMHSA, the NFD continues to network with family members across the country.
Family members identified several challenge areas in treatment and recovery for youth with substance use disorders. The top two challenges are 1) a lack of education and information support for family members and 2) a lack of access to substance abuse treatment for youth and their families. Other challenges include 3) a lack of integrated treatment for youth with both substance abuse and mental health disorders, 4) the stigma and misunderstanding of the disease of substance abuse and addiction, and 5) the quality of treatment for youth with the disease. The report from the National Family Dialogue will be released in the near future.
MOMSTELL is proud to announce the creation of Families of Addiction. The mission
of Families
of Addiction is to unite families impacted by the disease of addiction in order to create environmental change. Families of Addiction's purpose is to create a treatment system that is family focused, easily accessible, provides quality treatment, supports recovery, and promotes prevention. We envision a non-judgemental society that accepts substance abuse as a life changing disease and provides a continuum of care for the entire family unit. If you are interested in learning more Contact Us
MOMSTELL President Sharon Smith accompanied Joyce Nalepka, Malcolm (Cap) Beyer, Cliff Cincaid, Dr. Andrea Barthwell and Dr. Robert DuPont to a meeting at the Office of the Surgeon General. Sharon discussed the impact of drug use on the family and also talked about her own families experiences. RADSG Rutstein listened intently and following the presentations, we discussed our recommendations to expose the health impact of substance use/abuse, how families are impacted by drug and alcohol addiction, our concerns about the drug and alcohol problems plaguing our country including marijuana and it’s effect on those with mental illness.
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