New Group in La Grande and Baker City Offers Support for Families of Addicts
By Joe Hathaway on Wednesday, September 6th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER AND UNION COUNTIES — A new group offers support to parents of family members of those who are struggling with addiction.
Parents of Addicted Loved Ones, or PAL, is a support group of parents helping parents and families, using evidence-based, structured curriculum created by professionals in the treatment and recovery industry.
PAL has its roots in Arizona but was started locally by Jorja Culley, a retired teacher who taught at Baker schools for more than 40 years.
She was inspired to be a part of PAL and bring it to Northeast Oregon after her children’s own struggles with addiction.
“I was going to groups and trying to talk with friends and different parents, but there’s such a stigma about addiction and talking about it was all so taboo years ago and I found there wasn’t anybody to help,” says Culley. “Nothing was helping, so I just started reading everything I could about drugs and addiction and how to work and deal with it. I finally found this program down in Phoenix and through it I learned how to say no, which is hard for every parent.”
She said through her own personal experience and experiences of other local families, that Eastern Oregon had a problem.
“I needed to bring PAL back home,” says Culley.
So she underwent training and became certified as a facilitator.
“Addiction affects everyone. There’s not one family not affected by addiction in some form or another, that’s why this is so important.”
She says the group meetings are about information and support available for families. People can share their stories, ask for advice if they want and even hear from counselors and addiction experts.
“We want to build a sense of community with PAL, so people don’t have to feel like they’re fighting it alone. To let people know it’s not taboo anymore,” says Culley. “Let’s make a community that can lead, support and help each other get out on the other end safely and successfully.”
Culley says one of the most important aspects that parents and families of loved ones who are addicted need to learn is what she calls the “Three C’s”.
“The parents did not cause it. They’re not going to change it and they can’t cure it. That’s the guilt that many of us parents felt to begin with,” says Culley. “It’s a fallacy and this program shows why it’s a fallacy.”
PAL now meets every Thursday at 6:30pm in La Grande at the La Grande Presbyterian Church, located at 1308 Washington Ave.
It also meets every Wednesday at 6:30 in Baker City at the Church of the Nazarene, located at 1250 Hughes Ln.
You must be 18 or older to attend.
For those interested and want more information, call 541-403-4850 or visit palgroup.org.
