New Grief Camp Focuses On Drug Overdose Losses

FISHKILL, NY — Nicole Alix has lost three people close to her because of drug overdoses.

She lost her first husband in 2017 to an overdose and her little brother in 2019, also to an overdose.

“Ten days later my second husband — I never thought I’d find love again, but my girls and I did — by suicide after being prescribed a number of medications,” the Mashpee, Massachusetts, resident told Patch.

She said she searched for any trauma and grief therapy groups she could find, but there weren’t many resources — especially ones that would be good for children.

Alix said she found a wonderful group that dealt with grief near where she lives on Cape Cod, and the director provided her with information about a bereavement organization called Comfort Zone Camp.

The Richmond, Virginia-based nonprofit offers free programs for children ages 7 to 17 and their families to help those who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, primary caregiver or other significant person.

Its primary locations are California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia and New York, where, beginning Friday, the organization will hold its first Overdose Loss Camp in Fishkill.

Sandy Bruno, a youth and family coordinator for Comfort Zone Camp, said the majority of their camps deal with general loss from disease, illness or homicide.

“This camp is specifically geared towards overdose loss,” she told Patch during a telephone interview.

The children who participate “will feel very secure and safe,” Bruno said, “and they will know they are not the only ones out there dealing with this.”

She said the organization made the decision to offer a specialized camp for dealing with loss from overdoses because they were noticing that a lot of parents were applying for their children because of drug-related deaths. In fact, the organization saw a more than 30 percent increase in camper applications due to overdose loss during 2022.

The three-day overdose grief camp drew participants from as far away as Nevada, Bruno said.

“We didn’t think we would fill it so quickly,” she said.

The importance of having a specialized camp for dealing with the aftermath of overdose death is that the grief can be complicated by the stigma surrounding a drug-related death, Bruno said

“Parents act a certain way when on drugs,” she said, “and the children sometimes come with complicated grief with more arms and legs to that grief.”

Alix’s experience with Comfort Zone Camp was nothing like what she imagined.

“What I expected and what I had coming out of that camp was so much more than I could ever have expected,” she said.

She learned how to communicate with her children about losses, feelings — the good ones, the bad ones, even the mad or funny ones — coping skills and day-to-day-life ups and downs.

“And that all of it is OK because this is our story,” Alix said. “There are so many people who have experienced loss, and it felt good to be told that it’s OK to think and feel whatever we want without being judged.”

The organization is able to offer free weekend camps through fundraising. It costs about $600 per camper to hold a camp weekend, Bruno said.

She said some of the activities for the first overdose grief camp include ice-breaker games, a challenge course and other fun activities, and then a trained facilitator will run healing circles.

“Nobody wants to sit there and be sad during the whole weekend,” Bruno said.

Parents are kept separated from their children for the weekend, she said, and nobody is allowed to come in or leave.

The camp weekend is a closed bubble, Bruno said. There are no electronics and no distractions.

“No worrying about what is happening at home,” she said. “Just focus on their grief.”

Over the three days, there will be more healing circles and more sharing among the 50 campers and 12 parents who signed up to attend.

On Saturday night, she said there will be a circle of remembrance, with participants writing notes and then throwing them into a fire, as a way of release.

Alix said she still keeps in touch with people she met during her grief camp experience.

“If we’re ever feeling any type of way or need some encouragement,” she said, “we’re always there for each other. I feel close to my children, and I feel more confident as a mother.”

When asked how she would respond to someone who might be on the fence about a group approach to grief management like Comfort Zone Camp and the Overdose Loss Camp, Alix said if they’ve lost a loved one and want a little bit of that pain to go away, they should give it a try.

“I made far more progress in one weekend, as far as healing, than I have in years of trying everything else,” she said.

“If you don’t want to feel like you’re alone on this journey, like you’re not the only one, do it,”Alix said.

“The first thing my daughter said when she got back in the car after that weekend was that Comfort Zone Camp is the only place where she doesn’t feel different. And I agree with her.”

For more information, visit the Comfort Zone Camp here. The Overdose Loss website can be found through this link.

CORRECTION: After publication, Patch was informed that Nicole Plante now goes by the name Nicole Alix. The article has been modified to reflect that request.