Portland Coalition Uses Unique Approach to Help Parents and their Children to Stay off Drugs

Coalitions are in the business of preventing youth and adults from ever going down the path of substance abuse. But too often those who have used drugs and are in recovery are left out of the picture. A coalition in Portland, Maine has figured out a way to engage this underserved population, and in the process they're creating passionate prevention advocates.

The One Maine One Portland Coalition and the City of Portland Health and Human Services Department’s Public Health Division provide free, substance abuse prevention educational support classes to parents in recovery. The parent trainings are funded by Healthy Maine Partnerships.

Amanda Edgar, a Community Health Promotion Specialist for the City of Portland Public Health Division’s Substance Abuse Prevention Program, said the innovative idea to start classes originated from methodone users who wanted more support for their recovery.

“There are many pathways to recovery from addiction and we believe that methadone can be one of them,” Edgar said. Her coalition took materials available to them from such resources as their state funding source Maine Office of Substance Abuse and from maineparents.net and adapted their own PowerPoint presentations and information packets. A clinic counselor sits in on each class.

Referrals to monthly or bi-monthly hour-long classes are given to patients on methadone maintenance at the public health division’s partner CAP (Center for Addictive Problems) Quality Care in adjacent Westbrook. Classes are sometimes held at methadone treatment centers as well as various worksites.

Workshop presentations cover the Maine Office of Substance Abuse’s Parental Monitoring Tips, myths versus facts of underage drinking, conversation starters and tips to engage teens in substance abuse prevention and recovery discussion, the disease of addiction, treatment and recovery resources and opportunities for community involvement. Workshop evaluations completed by participants offers Edgar’s team insight as to what area parents are looking for when it comes to substance abuse prevention and recovery resources for their children as well as themselves. Information collected from each survey is used to improve their class.

So far, the response from attendees has been positive, Edgar said. Most of the attendees are engaged, are learning new information, have a safe place to discuss their recovery and receive support and encouragement.

Parents in the classes have children ranging from toddlers to teens. Edgar said parents in recovery are just as concerned about their children as any other parent.

When the inevitable question comes up: “You did it and turned out OK, so why can’t I,” Edgar and her colleagues try to encourage parents to respond, “Why go through it in the first place?”

Edgar hopes the classes are helping to equip parents with the tools they need to help protect their teens from the harms of substance abuse such as discussing the dangers of drinking alcohol and using marijuana, negative messages parents may unintentionally send to their children, and setting boundaries.

“’No’ means you do care about them,” Edgar tells the participants. “Engaging with your children makes them less likely to drink or do drugs.”

The coalition’s Substance Abuse Recovery-Focused Parenting Education Program is now in its second year.