“Today’s research leads to tomorrow’s care”.
What needs investigating to help improve care for people with experience of addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, and their families, friends, and carers?
A team supported by the UK Government’s Office for Life Sciences Addiction Mission is looking for the following people to answer a new short survey which will influence future research:
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Adfam is setting up a National Lived Experience Campaign Network, to remotely bring people together with lived experience of a family member's substance use, to campaign, raise awareness and influence change.
2024 marks a special year for Adfam as we celebrate our 40th year. Throughout 2024, we will be reflecting on the past 40 years on the progress that has been made in supporting families affected by substance misuse, as well as looking to the future. Through a series of monthly articles, Adfam is speaking to a range of key individuals active in supporting families through substance ...
Adfam is saddened to learn that Bernie Carr died on 12th June 2024. Bernie was a prominent member of the Alcohol and Families Alliance (AFA) Steering Group for many years and played a huge role in championing the AFA and the needs of families affected by substance use, whilst also being an influential advocate for people with lived experience of addiction
This research reveals that family members play a significant role helping their loved ones that are experiencing problems with their drinking or drug use to achieve and maintain recovery.
“I remember there’s a famous quote about addiction… the opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety or abstinence; the opposite of addiction is connection. And I think there’s something about that that hooked me in when I started working in the sector”.
We are so excited to announce the launch of Adfam’s new website. The site has been completely redesigned with a brand-new look and feel. It is now more engaging, interactive and easier to navigate for both families and professionals.
The Alliance of Family Support Organisations has launched its manifesto, calling on the next UK Government to ensure families affected by substance use are adequately supported.
The manifesto’s top four priorities include investing in services for children and families, tackling the affordability, availability and promotion of alcohol, reducing stigma, and the need for a new alcohol strategy.
‘Same but different’ Justina replies when asked what the differences are for families affected by substance use in Scotland. Politically, things are very different. The Scottish National Party (SNP) have led the Scottish Parliament since 2007 (including periods of minority government), and alcohol policy in Scotland has been significantly more forward-thinking than in England.
Behind familiar reporting of the latest rise in alcohol-related deaths, lies the less well known story of the bereavements these deaths entail for those who have lost a loved-one this way. Recent research is revealing that, whilst alcohol- and drug-related bereavements vary a lot, they are often severe, complex and long-lasting
“We’ve got to go for connectedness. We’ve really got to understand that no one set of professionals is going to work this. And working alongside and with the families, hearing the lived experience, hearing the voice. Now that is incredibly challenging, but I think it also has to be said that we’re not going to get anywhere if we don’t do that.”
We are really excited to announce that ultra-marathon runner and endurance athlete Frank Bingham is taking on the Speed Project later this month to raise money for Adfam! The Speed Project if you didn’t know, is a gruelling 500km race through the desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas! The race commences from Santa Monica…
“Just because someone is living with their parents at a given time, doesn’t mean they are necessarily prepared for them to stay there, and for them to financially support them. Services need to be asking not just the person with the issue but the family, ‘are you coping?’ and ‘how long can you cope for before it gets too much?’
2024 marks a special year for Adfam as we celebrate our 40th year. Established in 1984 by Simon Ann Dorin who could not find the support she needed to deal with her son’s heroin use. In its early years Adfam was run by volunteers using the vestry at the back of St George’s Church in…
Stigma is an issue that has impacted families affected by substance use for many years. In 2012 Adfam published Challenging stigma, a report which looked in detail at the stigma and prejudice faced by families. Among all else it found that, regardless of their own behaviour, families felt defined by the stigmatising labels attributed to their relatives struggling with substance use. One ...
In January the Government released its annual adult substance misuse treatment statistics for 2021 – 2022. The figures mostly showed little change from the previous year and responses from Local Government, NHS providers and charities struggled to find anything new to say. They broadly welcomed an increase in the number of people seeking treatment for alcohol, and generally highlighted the ...
This is an unsent letter from a mother to her son called ‘I am not having it’, which has been kindly shared with us in the hope that it will help other mothers going through what she is going through.
I am not having it
‘Whatever you say AND forever and a day, “I am not having it”. “Are you listening, “I AM NOT HAVING IT; I am powerful and I am me”.
I am shouting it from the ...
This article was originally published in the April edition of DDN magazine on Monday 3rd April. The edition can be downloaded here (p13): https://www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/ddn-april-2023/
Unhealthy Relationship
Drinking does not necessarily need to be frequent or considered dependent for it to have a damaging impact on intimate partner* relationships. This is one of the key discoveries ...
Read the runner-up from Adfam’s Family Voices Competition 2022. Family Voices is an annual poetry and creative writing competition open to families affected by substance use to share their experiences.
Needed. They needed it, but I always thought it was a choice. Every night, until that creeped into the day. Functioning at first, and then not. Keeping it hidden, and then not. The drink. ...