In the midst of family addiction, Annie found friendship, a valuable cause
April 24, 2025
When Annie was facing addiction in her family, she felt afraid. She was overwhelmed by the loss of control in her life.
“Addiction can have a really strong impact on loved ones, probably more than people realize,” she said. “You’re living it day by day, but you don’t have any control over it. You try to, but you can’t.”
After a referral to Face It TOGETHER, Annie was paired with Dave, a peer coach for loved ones like herself.
“It’s the personal connection that really meant the most to me. And the support, the nonjudgmental confidence building,” she said. “Face It TOGETHER is a place to help you through times when you just don’t know where to turn.”
Annie not only got help for herself, but also resources to share with her children, who were both teenagers at the time.
“Dave provided a video that explained what alcohol does to the brain. I’ll never forget when we sat down together to watch it and how much that meant to my kids and I to be able to understand it,” she said. “Dave seemed like part of our family by taking time with us and sharing his knowledge.”
Even though Annie did everything she could to support the person in her life with addiction, the end result wasn’t what she and her family had wanted.(We haven’t included details to protect their privacy.)
“It was very disappointing and heartbreaking,” she said. “But at the time, I felt like I could walk away feeling like I did the right thing.”
Through her time spent with Dave, Annie learned what she could and couldn’t control. She gained skills to recognize manipulation and trust in herself.
“What I have now that I didn’t have then is the confidence to set boundaries and not feed the fire of what’s happening,” she said. “It’s about boundaries, good relationships and having the confidence to stand up for yourself. I was enabling the behavior by covering up what was happening and always picking up the pieces to try to make our life look as normal as possible. Now I know that our loved one needed to own up to what was happening and not have me sweep the dysfunction under the rug.”
Annie’s experience taught her that providing education, support and confidence can make a world of difference to loved ones impacted by addiction.
“Regardless if their person with addiction actually does the program or doesn’t, there’s always room for improvement in some way, shape or form in a person,” she said. “If these are the results I’ve seen, there are other people who can benefit from the program too. It’s so unique in the way it’s presented.”
Giving back to help other families
Years after Annie received help for the addiction in her life, she became one of the nonprofit’s first monthly donors.
“I think of it as giving to a really worthwhile organization that can be really helpful,” she said. “I just love the mission of Face It TOGETHER and I knew there were lots of people that could be helped by Dave and others in situations like mine.”
Reflecting on her loved one’s journey, Annie describes her decision to reach out to Face It TOGETHER as a “shot in the dark.” But from the very beginning, she recognized she found something different.
“I liked the peer-to-peer approach and the personal touch that it had as opposed to other processes,” she said. “It’s not so clinical and structured, but you still see good results.”
As a firm believer in Face It TOGETHER’s approach and mission, Annie has asked her workplace to donate as well. She encourages other potential supporters to consider their Board or employer connections that could offer resources.
“No matter what amount you give, it’s helpful,” she said.
Although it’s been years, Annie is grateful for the friendship that developed between her and her peer coach.
“There was something helpful in every session,” she said. “I would come to the office feeling hopeless, but I left there feeling very refreshed and ready to go. I felt like I could face the challenges of the past and new challenges because I wasn’t dealing with all of this alone. My family and I had the support we needed.”
By joining Annie and starting a monthly donation, you’ll be sharing addiction wellness year-round. Your ongoing kindness has the power to truly transform families impacted by addiction.