Family and Friends Resources

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Family and Friends resources:

Welcome to our resources page. We have curated a selection of resources from books and articles to videos, guides and support groups to help support you and those around you.


You can find out more about our Family and Friends service, what we can do to support you and a short application form to complete to get in touch with us here.

Please visit this page to find out about ‘The Ripple Effect,’ our FREE workshop for those impacted by someone’s addiction, providing the confidence and tools to support them whilst caring for yourself.

Featured resource

Addiction is a challenging disease that can impact every area of a person’s life from the spiritual, to the moral, mental, emotional, and physical.

Family and Friends Reading Resources:

Articles:

How addiction affects the family - Addiction Center

Addiction affects the family in many ways, including emotionally, financially, legally, and medically. For this reason, many treatment professionals stress healing the entire family unit.

The effects on the Family – Adfam

The effects of drug and alcohol use in the family go well beyond the direct effects on the person using them.  Living with a loved one who uses drugs or alcohol has a huge impact on the whole family.

How addiction affects the family - Acquiesce

Addiction is a challenging disease that can impact every area of a person’s life from the spiritual, to the moral, mental, emotional, and physical.

Addiction Information:

Substance Abuse handbook:

This directory is about substance misuse, what you can do about it and where to get help, advice and support. If you or anyone you know is experiencing substance misuse then this pack may be of use.

Talk to Frank:

This is Frank’s drugs A-Z list. Don’t worry if you see a lot of drugs you don’t recognise. Some drugs have different names so search using the name you know.

Rehab Guide & Assessments:

These drug addiction and alcohol addiction self-assessment questionnaires aim to walk you through the factors that healthcare professionals use to diagnose the behaviours of addiction.

Drug wise:

The mission of DrugWise is to provide drug information which is topical, evidence-based and non-judgemental – and to promote this through media work, public speaking and lecturing.

Addiction Science:

Learn about the science behind addiction on the National Institute on Drug Abuse website.

Family and Friends Video Resources:

Understanding addiction – Johann Hari:

What really causes addiction — to everything from cocaine to smart-phones? And how can we overcome it? Johann Hari has seen our current methods fail firsthand, as he has watched loved ones struggle to manage their addictions. He started to wonder why we treat addicts the way we do — and if there might be a better way. As he shares in this deeply personal talk, his questions took him around the world, and unearthed some surprising and hopeful ways of thinking about an age-old problem.

BBC Radio 5 Live’s Hooked podcast:

The presenters of BBC Radio 5 Live’s Hooked podcast have spoken to friends and family about the impact of their addiction.

In the new episode, now available on BBC Sounds, Melissa Rice spoke openly to her sister Rebecca, and Jade Wye to her friend Kathy.

Exposing the Family Effect of Addiction:

After her brother was diagnosed with the disease of addiction, Sam Fowler and her family had to change the way they lived their lives. In her talk, she tells about her experiences suffering from “the family disease”.

The Effects of Drug Addiction on Family Members:

The presenters of BBC Radio 5 Live’s Hooked podcast have spoken to friends and family about the impact of their addiction.

In the new episode, now available on BBC Sounds, Melissa Rice spoke openly to her sister Rebecca, and Jade Wye to her friend Kathy.

BBC Radio 4 Al-Anon Meeting:

Listen to extracts from an Open meeting broadcast on Broadcasting House, Radio 4 on Sunday 29th January 2017.

The Drama Triangle:

When you’re in a toxic relationship, do you consider yourself the victim, the rescuer, or the persecutor? The Drama Triangle, first described by Stephen Karpman in the 1960s, illustrates the dysfunctional relationship between the victim, rescuer, and persecutor. Find out how each of these roles makes your toxic relationship worse.

Literature:

Addict in the Family
Beverly Conyers

Codependent no more
Melody Beattie

Who Says I’m an Addict?
David Smallwood

In the realm of
hungry Ghosts
Dr. Gabor Mate

Beautiful Boy
David Sheff

The Body Keeps
the Score
Bessel van der Kolk, MD

Support groups:

Al-Anon Family Groups UK & Eire is there for anyone whose life is or has been affected by someone else’s drinking.
Co-Dependents Anonymous is a fellowship of people whose common purpose is to develop healthy relationships. The only requirement for member is a desire for healthy and loving relationships
Adfam is a national charity tackling the negative effects of drugs and alcohol on family members and friends. We improve life for thousands of people.

Mental health support

Taking a public mental health approach to prevention, finding solutions for individuals, those at risk and for society, in order to improve everyone’s mental wellbeing.
Providing peer support services to empower people affected by bipolar to live well.
Beat is the UK’s leading charity supporting those affected by eating disorders and campaigning on their behalf.