I am looking for support groups that deal with loved ones with addiction. I am trying to be more informed.

Although Al-Anon's stated purpose is to help the family and friends of alcoholics, I have seen people come to meetings dealing with gambling, drug addition, sex addition and mental illness. The meetings I go to ask people to keep the focus on themselves, not on the alcoholic. I think the feelings of dealing with all kinds of addictions are similar, and you would find help at Al-Anon meetings. There are gam anon and nar anon meetings in some areas as well, but I am not familiar with them.

Welcome to MIP supportseek3 - glad you found us and glad that you reached out. Like kaotob suggests, I believe you will find support, help and hope in local F2F (Face to Face) Al-Anon meetings. If you are in a larger metropolitan area, you may find other -anon groups that drill down on addiction (Nar-Anon), and/or others, but we don't discriminate in my area - all are welcome.

Addiction, like Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive disease that affects almost all who live with or love an alcoholic. It's considered a family disease for this exact reason. We become affected by the disease and often end up with distorted thinking and unhealthy reactions/coping ways. Recovery is possible for all - it's an individual journey you are welcome to whether your qualifier seeks recovery or not.

Keep coming back - you are not alone!