International Family Drug Support Day 2022
Each year, DirectLine receives approximately 45,000 calls from people concerned about alcohol and other drugs.
Around 35-40% of these calls are from family members and significant others seeking information and advice on how to support someone close to them. Our approach at DirectLine is to;
- Provide the family member with a safe space to talk about their problem and express their feelings without judgement
- Provide relevant information about alcohol and other drugs, and treatment and support options available to them
- Explore how the family member responds to and copes with the situation
- Explore current social support for the family member to ensure they are also looking after their health and wellbeing, and
- Provide referral to services for ongoing support if needed.
We often receive positive feedback from family members about the service we provide;
“I just received a phone call from ‘Angelina’ as she wanted to thank us for the wonderful support that we have given her over the years regarding her daughter. She said that without this support, advice, teaching, staff knowledge, and experience and patience she would not have been able to get through it. She is so grateful for everything that we have provided her and that without our support she doesn’t know where she would be today. Her daughter is doing very well, she has stopped her drug use and associating with other drug users. She is now working with DFFH and her daughter is being returned to her care. Angelina is spending productive time with her daughter, her heart is full of joy and she can’t wait to see her grandchild.”
“I just wanted to say a massive thank you, my partner struggles with addiction and it’s been one of the most challenging things I've had to deal with and your support has been so valuable for me (which flows through to them also). I wish I could remember the name of who I spoke to today, having an empathetic ear and some guidance helped me so much.
I'm so appreciative of the work you do, you make the world a kinder place, thank you!” – ‘Kirsten’
If you or someone you know is affected by addiction there is support available and things you can do to help. Remember, you don’t need to wait until a crisis to get help.