The families’ role in recovery

Vivienne Evans

Scale

• Approximately 7 million people are affected by someone else’s substance misuse

Scale

• There are 250,000 children of problematic drug users…

• …and 1 million children affected by parental alcohol misuse

Scale

• 150,000 people are affected by drug use in prison

Policy context: everyone’s business

• Models of Care 2006 • Drugs Strategy 2008• Carers Strategy 2008• NICE guidance 2007• Hidden Harm 2003• Social Exclusion Task Force: Think Family 2007• Aiming High for Every Child: HM Treasury 2007• Children’s Plan: DCSF 2007

Impact

• Social • Financial• Physical• Psychological• Criminality• Stigma• Personal and societal

Why support families?

• They provide practical, emotional and financial support to the substance user, improving the likelihood of successful treatment and retention in treatment

• Health and welfare of family members is improved if they are given support

• Engaging families in a prison setting can reduce drug supply and re-offending

• Isolation and stigma increases stress and its related problems, placing added strain on statutory services

• Economic advantages

Recovery

• Unrealistic goals• Equated with abstinence• Health• Job• Home• Family supportRecovering from a drug or alcohol problem is more

complex than not having a substance in your system any more

Emerging dilemmas

• Interventions• Involvement and support • Insecure contracts • Parents and children/prevention and

resilience

Key messages • Families are relied upon to provide support without being

adequately supported themselves• Families subsidise treatment provision • The welfare system penalises families • Families do not get support when they want to disengage

with the drug user• Families need to recover too• The role of the family needs to be recognised at grassroots

level, not just with policy circles• Families want more information• There is a great deal we do not know about the family's role

Key issues

• Rebuilding family relationships is a key constituent of recovery

• Families provide vital recovery capital• Families are well placed to help map

individualised routes away from drug dependency

• Families need to recover too

• www.adfam.org.uk