before or after visits, and I would often intervene to
put them in touch with drug services in their local area
to find support. What I found challenging at the time
was how little support there was for people indirectly
affected by substance misuse.
I am pleased to say that five years on, more
support is now available for this client group – but
there is still more to be done. According to Adfam, an
estimated one in five people is affected by someone
else’s substance misuse. Many of these people do
not use substances themselves, and it is unfair that
they have limited access to support when needed. It
is very important that we understand the emotional
rollercoaster that active addiction can bring to
friends and families, affecting their physical and
emotional well-being.
Where support is available, many are unaware of
it. When I talk to other professionals in the field, only
a small number recognise the difficulties faced by
friends and families, exposing the need for an
extension of the support that is already provided.
At our recovery and wellbeing friends and family
service we aim to provide some of that crucial
support by offering one-to-one counselling, group
work, telephone support, and complementary
therapies such as ear acupuncture and shiatsu. We
also refer to our counselling service for ongoing
therapeutic support if needed.
One of our most popular schemes is the
Education, Training and Employment (ETE) service.
The ETE team can help friends and families look for
work opportunities, college courses, and voluntary
placements, or help with writing CVs and building up
people’s confidence.
We provide links to local support groups in the
community such as Al-Anon, Families Anonymous
(FA) or Co-Dependants Anonymous (CODA). These
self-help groups not only offer support, but can also
help people to explore the co-dependency that
addiction may bring.
The biggest challenge we face is preventing
friends and families from becoming too enmeshed in
the problems affecting their loved one, which can
cause them to forget about their own wellbeing.
We also explore specific behaviours displayed by
people suffering from addiction. Manipulation can
lead friends and families to become involved in
enabling addictive behaviour out of fear or guilt. An
exploration of enabling, implementing and setting
boundaries therefore underpins some of the work I
do with my clients.
I believe it is important for every professional in
the country working in the social care sector to have
an awareness of the impact that active addiction has
on others, and to know that there are services out
there supporting this client group. Once more people
are aware of what’s on offer, we can further the
possibilities of providing better support.
John Taylor is friends and families lead at Turning
Point South Westminster,
point.co.uk/south-westminster.aspx. Watch his film
at
Family support
Find out more about family support:
‘Where support is
available, many
are unaware
of it. When I
talk to other
professionals in
the field, only a
small number
recognise the
difficulties faced
by friends and
families...’
year I agreed because this kind of support is
essential, but can often be ignored. For much of the
nine years I have been working in the substance
misuse field, I have supported people affected by
someone else’s substance misuse – whether a
relative, or friend. If you really want to know the
price of addiction and what its impacts are, ask
those I call the ‘affected others’.
As a friends and family worker at HMP Pentonville
in 2011, I met clients coming to visit their loved ones
from all around the country. They would meet me
RECENTLY I MADE A FILM
for Turning Point’s
recovery and wellbeing friends and families service, a
London-based service supporting people affected by
someone else’s substance misuse. The film tells the
stories of clients who have suffered from active
addiction and the trauma they have experienced as a
result. It also portrays their journey to recovery
through the service and how they have pulled
through from their ordeal.
When I was asked to lead on supporting friends
and families at this service at the beginning of last
Offering support to families affected by
addiction means acknowledging the ups and
downs of a close bond, says
John Taylor
Emotional
rollErcoastEr
16 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| April 2016
