GRASP — Free Overdose Loss Peer Support Groups Boston, MA
GRASP (Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing) runs free, peer-led support groups across Massachusetts for adults grieving the death of a loved one to addiction and overdose. With ten chapters statewide — including North Shore, Charlestown, Everett, Somerville, Billerica, Winchester/Woburn, Norfolk County, and others reachable from Boston — GRASP fills a particular gap in grief programming: bereavement support that does not pathologize the person who died and does not ask the grieving family to soften the story.
What to Expect
Meetings vary by chapter but follow a peer support format. The GRASP North Shore Chapter meets the first Thursday of every month from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Salem Hospital, 81 Highland Avenue, Salem. The GRASP South Coast Chapter meets the first Tuesday of every month from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Smith Neck Friends Meetinghouse, 594 Smith Neck Road, South Dartmouth. Other Boston-area chapters keep their own schedules; the GRASP meeting finder at grasphelp.org/community/meetings lists current dates. Each meeting is facilitated by peer leaders who are themselves grieving an overdose or substance-related loss. There is no curriculum, no clergy, no clinician required, and no fee.
Who This Group Is For
Adults 18 and older grieving the death of a family member, partner, friend, or other loved one to overdose, alcohol-related complications, or any substance-related death. The loss can be recent or many years past. Many members come during the first acute year of grief; others stay for years. Both are welcomed. GRASP is intentionally inclusive of all faiths and none, and of all family structures.
Why Peer Support Works
Substance-related grief carries additional layers — the stigma still attached to addiction, the complicated relationships, the questions about whether something could have been done differently, and the silence of friends and family who do not know what to say. A peer room of other survivors is often the first place where the loss can be spoken about whole, without softening. GRASP’s chapters are particularly important in Massachusetts, where the opioid crisis has touched extraordinary numbers of families.
How to Join
All GRASP meetings are free and open to drop-ins. To find the closest Boston-area chapter and current meeting dates, visit grasphelp.org/community/meetings. For the North Shore chapter, contact 781-593-5224 or GRASPNorthShoreMA@gmail.com. The national GRASP site also offers an email and Facebook community for members between in-person meetings. The Massachusetts Family TIES network also maintains a directory of statewide GRASP chapters and other overdose-loss resources, and many GRASP attendees find their way into the meeting through that listing.