Donald Gunther and Mark Sanders
In part I of this series we shared our personal story of surviving and thriving as African American adult children of fathers with substance use disorders. Part II focused on the role of families and schools in supportive African American Children of parents with substance use disorders. In today’s post we focus on the role of the entire community and social service organizations in helping these children flourish!
What the Community Can Do
Donald’s view
Metaphorically, systems are like families; generations are like the roots and seeds are considered to be the child or children. The seeds planted and entangled, causing enmeshment, and an unhealthy garden will produce unhealthy fruit. Although the seed was planted with good intention, someone or a country forgot to plot and plow! I must mention there is a season for every reason a farmer would say, so digging up and airing out is uncomfortable but extremely important before you start to harvest your garden and or fruits of your labor. Could this be a new beginning (Recovery) or a never-ending story (addiction)? Since our underlying conditions were never noticed the root cause of our addictive thoughts, beliefs and behaviors would be the birthplace of our codependency also known as an addiction to unhealthy relationships with our families and within the community.
In many African American communities, it has been said “It takes a village to raise one child.” The communities consist of families, neighbors, businesses, schools, recreation centers, park districts, business owners etc. Since becoming a recovery coach professional facilitator for Connecticut Community for Addictions Recovery (CCAR). I have educated and empowered myself with their Evidence-based curriculum, which any part of the community can access to become recovery coaches. Some recovery coaches work with entire families and communities. This is offered through their Recovery Coach Academy. Information on the CCAR training can be accessed here https://addictionrecoverytraining.org/
I envision a day when recovery coaches will increasingly work with families and entire communities in promoting recovery and generational healing. In the 1980’s and 90’s, when crack cocaine was present in New York City, Chicago, Detroit and Compton, California, entire communities were impacted. Interventions should also address the entire community, including children. Growing up in NY and being able to see the stronghold that addiction had on families was very traumatic. Many of our family’s safe place (home) was not safe at all. In fact, every block seemed to have had their own pharmacist filling prescriptions that was killing our communities and those family members that were unable ‘to just say no’.
Decades later with INTERVENTION on my mind I needed a solution so I became a CCAR recovery coach professional facilitator so that I could collaboratively address SUD and Mental Health Disorders that has generationally oppressed fathers, family members and important people battling addiction. Now as Georgia’s Grateful Recovery Coach Professional I can educate communities with an evidence-based recovery coaching curriculum to motivate the plan for change that provides an opportunity to OVERCOME substance use disorders and mental health disorders and empowering African American communities.
Mark’s view
Like with other communities, the majority of African Americans have loved ones impacted by substance use disorders. The good news is there is room for everyone in providing support for children. Some African American barbers have been contracted with to provide mentorship for African American children.
The African American business community could also get involved in mentoring. Seeing individuals who look like you and are successful can instill hope. As many of the children don’t feel like they belong, there is definitely a role for park districts in black communities to help break isolation, build community and resilience. I was inspired when I visited a library in an African American community which had a book section focused on families with addictions and resources for children.
What Social Service Organizations Can Do
Donald’s view
African American children are impacted by the trauma of growing up in homes with parental substance use disorders. Many are also impacted by community violence such as gang violence, shootings, police brutality etc. Living with trauma increases the risk of PTSD and complex trauma, which if unaddressed can increase the risk of heavy substance use to cope with the trauma. Social services organizations could administer the ACE’s scale and provide trauma informed care and prevention services for children at risk for substance use disorders. Providing life skill trainings for children could also be helpful. Social service organizations could provide specialized groups for children impacted by parental substance use.
Ironically, listening to my father’s silence speak loud and clear about our abject poverty was psychological abuse. A soldier in a foreign war who trained to fight was not able to provide for his family but he could protect his country. These would be the words that dad would murmur from time to time with his facial expression. My dad and many men of color could’ve used resources like CCAR Recovery coaching academy. Social services should collaboratively work with agencies that can empower a recovery process. Therefore, schools, work readiness programs, churches and many other communities based and nonprofit organizations should be part of the recovery community organizations that promote a dual development with some S.O.B.E.R-F.A.C.T.S. Fortunately, my lived experiences and dealings with social services as an impoverished youth was a negative experience. In hindsight, CCAR Recovery Coaching has provided me an opportunity to promote the need for Compassion, Empathy and Understanding to collaboratively motivate change within the system. In fact, blogs like this can become topics of interest to collaborate social services with social media as a BLOGCAST (blog and podcast) that could be the start of the uncomfortable changes that’s needed to reunify families with the assistance of social services and other recovery community organizations (RCO's).
Mark’s View
Donald, I really agree with you about administering the ACEs to assess the impact of trauma in the home. There is a newer tool called The Philadelphia ACE’s. which also evaluates the impact of community violence, which many African American children are exposed to. It includes categories such as witnessing community violence, police harassment, experiencing racism etc.
SAMHSA has a new prevention initiative where substance use disorders prevention programs partner with other youth programs to help them provide prevention services. In adopting such a program in African American communities, schools, child welfare agencies, the juvenile justice system, pregnant and parenting teen programs, gang intervention programs could be trained in substance use disorders programming. Expanding the prevention net would allow us to help more children.