Guides and leaflets

We produce a number of publications for family members, addressing specific issues you may be facing because of your relationship with a substance user:

A comprehensive 44 page booklet tackling in depth the many questions parents have when they find out a child is using drugs.

This is an excellent resource for all parents of drug users and provides the tools needed to cope with most situations. It also has an appendix of useful organisations which families can access for support.

A comprehensive 32 page booklet tackling in depth the many questions partners have when they find out their partner is using drugs.

This is an excellent resource for all partners of drug users and provides the tools needed to cope with most situations. It also has an appendix of useful organisations which families can access for support.

A guide developed to help people set up and run a family support group. Helpful for both new and established services, it tackles issues such as confidentiality, setting objectives and problem solving.

The guide was produced in consultation with parents, partners, drug agency staff, social workers, GPs and local community groups.

This handbook has been produced by Mentor UK and Adfam as a free resource for parents and carers. It includes details on a range of substances as well as their effects, risk factors and the law. It also contains helpful advice on how to have effective conversations about drugs in order to keep your child safe from their harms.

An online resource for parents produced the London Drug and Alcohol and Policy Forum at the City of London together with support from Adfam and Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation.

Journeys

Adfam has relaunched the Journeys series with a new design and up-to-date information. The Journeys series, first produced over 10 years ago, are magazine-style publications which provide useful information and show families that they are not alone in dealing with the substance use of a loved one.

They contain a number of illustrated personal testimonies from people who have ‘been through it’, along with useful factual information and advice on how to cope with varying situations.

This booklet explores the issues faced by brothers and sisters of drug/alcohol users. It provides useful, practical and emotional advice about what to do, and where to turn, when your brother or sister is using substances.

It also provides a brief overview of what drugs are and explores the process that most brothers or sisters go through when they find out a sibling is using – including suggestions of where to go for help.

Men often feel uncomfortable accessing certain types of support, or think that services aren’t able to meet their needs. This booklet is designed especially for men and contains real-life stories and key information on dealing with someone else’s drug or alcohol use.

This resource looks into the issues facing those who live with a partner that is using drugs or alcohol. Often people get frustrated that their partners seem unable to communicate what is going on, and this booklet offers advice in how best to approach this kind of situation, and provides real-life stories and key information.

This resource explores the issues faced by the parents of drug/alcohol users. It includes some case studies demonstrating many of the common experiences faced by parents, along with a detailed description of the process most parents go through and practical answers to commonly posed questions, including information on how to access support.

By reading about other parents’ experiences of living with a child using alcohol/drugs it is hoped those who are first seeking help will gain some identification and feel less isolated.

This version is for grandparents affected by the problematic drug use of their sons or daughters, especially those grandparents who look after their grand children.

It aims to highlight the important role that many grandparents play in their grandchildren’s lives and the necessity of providing a stable home for children of drug using parents. It also covers the difficulties involved in fulfilling this role and the many hurdles that grandparents have to overcome.

The guide explores the emotional, physical and psychological aspects of drug and alcohol related bereavement, what grieving means and practical ways of coping with it.

The issues which bereaved families face are often complex. The emotional turmoil coincides with practical problems which most families never plan to face. This booklet provides support, guidance and signposting to help families deal with drug related bereavement.

This booklet is designed for young children, teenagers and adults to explore the issues they may face when their parents take drugs or alcohol, and ways for them to identify and deal with the feelings they have around their parent’s drug/alcohol use.

​LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people and their families often experience an extra layer of isolation from mainstream services. This booklet looks at their specific needs and contains a section for the parents of LGBT drug/alcohol users, a section for LGBT family members and a number of personal experiences.