“A brother and sister attended the program with their parents. Mom was in Inpatient, Dad in the Family Program. The brother, age 7, had really been missing his mother. He was also extremely honest about what was going on in the family. During his Saturday sharing he sat across from Mom and read his story to her, letting her hear how much pain her addiction had caused the family. At one point during the sharing, this brave young man paused, took a breath and shifted his focus from Mom to Dad, who was sitting on the edge of the circle watching and listening. Looking directly at his father he stated, ‘Dad, it’s not just Mom who has a problem. Addiction has a hold of you, too.’ This boy was no longer willing to carry the secrets in his family. He had broken the ‘Don’t Talk’ rule and started the healing process.”
-from BFC Children’s Program Counselor Report
Consider a gift to the Children's Program
(top)
“Growing up with an alcoholic father exposed me at a very young age to the horrors of addiction, and before my experience at the BFC I thought I had seen it all. I assumed that since I had experienced addiction first hand, that made me an expert on the matter. I was wrong. During my five days at the BFC I had a personal awakening to the true nature of addiction, that it is a disease beyond the range of free will. I heard stories of unimaginable hardship and pain suffered at the hands of addiction that have left an inedible mark on my psyche. There is something special that happens during the program, an imperceptible metamorphosis whereby the addictive disease becomes a tangible thing beyond the realm of mere textbook fact. I now have a much deeper appreciation for the complexity of the addictive disease and how it manifests.”
-from a first year medical student who participated in 2007 SIMS Program
Consider a gift to the Summer Institute for Medical Students Program
View Donor Stories