In 2024, Adfam marked its 40th anniversary, and over the course of the year we reflected on the progress made over the past four decades in supporting families affected by substance misuse. It was also a time to look ahead, recognising the changes needed for the future.
We published a series of articles throughout the year, speaking to a range of key individuals active in supporting families through substance misuse.
For our final edition of ‘Adfam at 40’, we spoke to Naomi Bacon, Founder and Director of Tandem Collective, a digital and creative marketing agency, volunteer for Adfam and winner of Adfam’s 2024 Gary Seaman Award.
The award was set up in memory of Gary Seaman, a practitioner in Lewisham who devoted his life to supporting and championing those impacted by the effects of substance use, to recognise the amazing work of others like Gary. In 2024 the award was used to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of volunteers, and we were delighted to present this year’s award to Naomi. We spoke with Naomi about her experiences ahead of receiving her award.
A Childhood of Instability
Naomi spoke candidly about her childhood, marked by her father’s struggles with substance use and her mother’s experiences with bipolar disorder. She recounts how her early years were spent in a cycle of instability, with her parents’ co-dependent relationship making life unpredictable.
“My dad has struggled, my whole life he had issues with drug and alcohol misuse,” Naomi explained. “He’d been a heroin addict from a very young age, about 15. And he’d swapped it for the bottle in his 20s. The way he would drink, is for oblivion. Not this idea of alcoholism where someone is drinking a bottle of wine in an evening.”
In retrospect, Naomi can recognise the weight her father carried; not only managing the care of two young children and a wife with ongoing struggles with mental illness, but also dealing with the emotional turmoil that accompanies this. Nonetheless, that didn’t make Naomi’s childhood any less challenging – growing up with her father’s addiction and her mother’s bipolar left her yearning for a “normal” family.
“I would go to bed praying that I would be in a different family, or that my family would be normal…the gap between the reality and this deep hope is where the pain comes from.”
There were moments of hope, especially when her father entered rehab when Naomi was fifteen and remained sober for almost 10 years, but his relapse, after a long period of sobriety, reminded Naomi that addiction is an illness.
Ending the Stigma and Breaking the Taboo
Naomi’s passion for helping others cope with similar struggles comes from her own experiences of shame, embarrassment, and suffering in silence. Growing up, she and her sister lived in constant fear of being judged and stigmatised by others. There was also the fear of the prospect of them being taken into care. They were afraid to speak out, even though they were deeply unhappy at home.
“Even though we were deeply unhappy at home, we still wanted to be with our parents… only as an adult I realised how big the struggle is alone.”
Naomi emphasises the importance of breaking the silence surrounding addiction. She recalled a poignant moment from her own experience, where she openly shared her father’s drug and alcohol use with her colleagues.
“I remember when Dad had just joined the company, he had a relapse… I called an emergency meeting with the team, said this is my situation, I’ve never told anyone before in corporate a setting. And it was just amazing…I had these constant check ins from people asking how I was…After it all calmed down, two team members came to me and said each of their mums has an issue with addiction too, and they’d never told anyone before.”
Naomi’s openness and honesty fostered an environment where others felt safe to speak out. “Together we are stronger, always…You can actually change someone else’s life by leading and talking about it.”
Naomi’s Contribution to Adfam
When asked about her support for Adfam, Naomi praised the charity’s work supporting children and families affected by substance misuse.
“Adfam captures what children are needing, what family members are needing… to be involved in Adfam you feel you’re contributing to the goodness and the joy, rather than absorbing pain.”
Naomi has shown remarkable selflessness in her support for Adfam. Always making time to support Adfam and drawing on both her personal experiences and her expertise as a marketing and PR professional, she has played a key role in helping Adfam expand its reach and engage with new and diverse audiences.
An example of this is when she organised an online event book event for the launch of Lisa Harding’s ‘Bright Burning Things’, a novel which recounts the struggles of a mother dealing with alcohol addiction. This moving event featured Lisa as she read excerpts from the book along with a range of keynote speakers including Douglas Stewart, author of 2020 Booker prize winner ‘Shuggie Bain’, which told the story of a child in Glasgow in the 1980s growing up with his mother struggling with alcohol dependence. Naomi put Adfam forward as the event’s charity sponsor, providing Adfam with incredible exposure. Further events and initiatives like this, spearheaded by Naomi, have had a huge impact on the charity and its cause.
Looking to the Future
Looking ahead, Naomi is optimistic about the prospect of normalising conversations around addiction and reducing the stigma associated with it. She acknowledges, however, that it will take time for addiction to be regarded as an illness rather than a choice, and for it to be accepted and understood in the same way mental health is.
“…my dad’s illness is no different to my mum’s illness, my mums’ is just much more accepted… I would love a world where a child could say my daddy has addiction issues, like a kid could now say my mum has mental health issues.”
A huge thank you to Naomi, and everyone who took part in our Adfam at 40 series during 2024-25.
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