We know from our experience that family support helps family members to deal with the negative effects of their loved one’s drinking or drug use, improve their mental health and wellbeing, and enhance their productivity and engagement in society. Based on the findings from our latest study, we now have evidence to show that family support also benefits the person struggling with their drinking or drug use, as it helps family members to help their loved ones to achieve and maintain recovery. In this study we ran a survey completed by over 100 people who had previously experienced problems with their drinking and/or drug use and over three quarters said that their families played a key role in their recovery, helping in multiple ways, going above and beyond. Whilst not all of those family members were able to access support for themselves, those that did highlighted it as crucial in giving family members the tools and understanding to navigate the complexities of supporting someone through addiction.

Executive summary:

• Three quarters of the people that responded to Adfam’s online survey who had experienced problems with their drinking/drug use credit family members with playing a significant role in their recovery.
• Mothers and female partners are most often cited as the ones providing support.
• The survey shows families helping in many different ways, offering emotional support, providing housing, caring for children and supporting people financially.
• Half of the people responding in our survey to questions about financial support said they had received over £5000 from their families. This was used to cover things like bills, debts and treatment costs.
• Our survey reveals that most family members are not getting any expert help or advice. Only 25% of people surveyed say that their family have received specialist support.
• Nearly two thirds of people taking part in our survey believe that their family would benefit from an online support service.
• The support provided by family members in helping their loved ones to achieve and maintain recovery is a huge help to drug and alcohol services and the NHS, and potentially represents a considerable saving to the public purse.