Last updated:December 6, 2007

POTADA History
In February of 1980, Bill M., a recovering alcoholic, suggested that he and his wife, Eva, meet with four Sewickley parents to share the anger, anxiety, frustration and guilt the parents felt over their children’s abuse of alcohol and other drugs. This sharing of experience was so refreshing and educational that those involved decided to meet weekly thereafter. 

Another set of parents joined the group at its third meeting.  As the weeks passed, word of these anonymous meetings and more parents came to share and to seek solutions to their family problems.  One of the parents began calling the group POTADA (Parents Of Teenage Alcohol and Drug Abusers) and the name stuck. 

In the fall of 1980, POTADA was incorporated as a non-profit institution with the following Statement of Purpose: 
To promote the growth of Parent Self-Help Groups. The purpose of each self-help group to provide emotional stability to the families of chemical-using offspring and facilitate educational programs regarding chemical abuse.