The first Maryland chapter of GRASP (Grief Recovery After Substance Passing) meets the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at Camp Chapel United Methodist Church located at 5000 E. Joppa Road (at the corner of Honeygo Boulevard and Joppa Road) in Perry Hall, North East Baltimore County.
The purpose of GRASP is to help provide sources of help, compassion, and most of all, understanding, for families and individuals who have had a loved one die due to drug or alcohol abuse or addiction. The founders, Denise and Gary Cullen, felt the need for a specialized support group because of the reactions of others to their son’s death. They felt they were treated differently in bereavement groups due to the way their son died.
“Some may ask:‘What difference does it make? Help is help. Sympathy is sympathy.’
Those who know, will answer: ;The difference is in the faces of other parents’. The shifting to space themselves apart physically and emotionally. The silent response…. or even….. The spoken, ‘My child was good and didn’t deserve to die’! Which implies that all those who succumb to drugs of varying kinds deserved to leave this earth? And family — especially parents — must be as bad (oh yes, imperfect parents) to have seen and allowed this death to happen.”
People at GRASP support groups understand the special circumstances and pain of others in the group. Please preregister to attend a GRASP meeting by contacting Toni at 443-554-6150 or by emailing 3sons4life@gmail.com. Visit GRASP’s website for more information on the organization.
GRASP is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
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