Chemical Dependency Program
Read the Recovery version of the Purim story by clicking here! On Februrary 21, 2010 Rabbi Jodie Futornick was the keynote speaker at The Sober Megillah, a Recovery event. She shared the a modern midrash - the Purim story, Recovery style.
The next Jewish Recovery event will be Spirituality Day on Sunday, October 17th. If you would like more informaion or to be added to our mailing list, please contact Marcy Cohn @ 847-745-5422 or JHNC@JCFS.org.
To be added to the JHNC mailing list, click here and choose JHNC
"It is forbidden for a person to injure himself or others..."
--Maimonides Code, Laws of Damages 5:1
The Chemical Dependency Program of Jewish Healing Network of Chicago seeks to provide the same supportive services to those struggling with issues of addiction that are available to people dealing with other illnesses. We offer assistance to people who are in the process of determining whether a problem exists and need direction in taking the next step on their path to healing and Recovery and those who are in Recovery and are looking for a Jewish connection.
JHNC also specializes in addressing substance abuse among teens. Click here and here to view our program brochure.
Programs for the Jewish Recovery Community
- Annual Spirituality Day at which the Jewish Recovery community and anyone struggling with alcohol, drugs and other addictions and their family members come to together for discussion, sharing and fellowship. The next Spirituality Day will be held on October 17, 2010. For more information contact Marcy Cohn.
- A Recovery Seder, which provides an opportunity to explore and deepen the connection between the spirituality in Pesach and one’s Recovery program.
- A Recovery Event, which allows people to connect their 12-Step program to Judaism.
Support groups for family members include:
- Spouses of the Alcoholic/Addict: Finding the Path of Hope and Recovery
- Parents and Adult Siblings of the Alcoholic/Addict: Finding the Path of Hope and Recovery
- Substance Abuse in the Family?
- Pastoral Counseling – meet with a Rabbi familiar with issues of addiction and Recovery to discuss your individual situation.
Information and Referrals
If you or a member of your family has a problem with alcohol or drugs, including prescription drugs, we can help you explore your options and find the appropriate services.
12-Step support groups that are held in a synagogues include:
- AA – Alcoholics Anonymous
- CA - Cocaine Anonymous
- Al-Anon Family Groups–for Family Members of Alcoholics/Addicts
- 12-Step Torah, which serves anyone working a 12-step program that would like to integrate Jewish text and teachings into their program.
Click here to find a 12-step and chemical dependency support groups offered in your Jewish community.
Additional resources for anyone coping with their own or their loved one's addiction include
Publications
Publications to increase the awareness of substance abuse issues in the Jewish community and help teens, adults and parents address these issues with people they care about include:
- Chemical Dependency & the Jewish Community: Yes, it is our issue too
- Help a Friend Who is Using Alcohol & Drugs: It’s A Matter of Life or Death
- A Recovery Havdalah Service
- A Recovery Haggadah
Intervention
Many families have made numerous, unsuccessful attempts to help their addicted loved ones, trying various approaches to control or “fix” the addicted individual. Families seek help from friends, clergy, doctors, lawyers and mental health professionals. Despite these efforts, families often find little consolation. The addict/alcoholic continues to struggle. Frustration, fear and anger build until families reach the “jumping off point," and seek addiction-related professional help.
Work with our staff to make some decisions about what is and what is not acceptable behavior or circumstances within your family. We will help educate the family about addiction and provide connections to a variety of individualized resources, as appropriate.
A formal intervention involves addressing the addict’s behavior and facilitating an entrance into an appropriate treatment center. Treatment for the addicted person is sometimes dangerously delayed because of the mistaken belief that an individual must hit bottom or the idea that treatment will only work if the addict wants it. An intervention can raise the bottom for an addict and offer them help with their addiction, before it’s too late.
