Vivienne Evans OBE
Chief Executive, Adfam
Dealing with the effects of someone else’s addiction can be incredibly challenging and isolating, causing physical, emotional, social and financial distress while many also suffer mental ill health and experience abusive behaviours.
Adfam is the leading families and addiction charity that works in England to advocate for the millions of people affected by someone else’s drinking, drug use or gambling. Often, family members — children, siblings, parents, partners, friends and grandparents — simply don’t know where to turn when confronted with this complex issue.
Improving lives of people experiencing substance use
Established in 1984 by Simon Ann Dorin who could not find the support she needed to deal with her son’s heroin use, Adfam started as a volunteer-led charity operating in the vestry at St George’s Church in Campden Hill, West London. This 2024 is its 40th anniversary as a charity. Over time, it has evolved, adapted and changed, but its mission has always remained the same: to improve life for anyone affected by someone else’s substance misuse and ensure they are heard, valued and have access to support.
An estimated 5 million adults in the UK
are currently negatively affected by the drinking
or drug use of a family member or friend.
The flagship Adfam@Home service provides remote, professional 1:1 support to family members. It has achieved enormous success in helping them deal with the negative effects of their loved one’s substance use and to find a positive way forward. However, the availability of this specialist support across the country is very much a postcode lottery, and more services are needed to reach the many who suffer in silence.
Accessible support for people affected
While a lot has changed politically and societally over the past 40 years, the experiences of these individuals are still very much apparent. An estimated 5 million adults in the UK are currently negatively affected by the drinking or drug use of a family member or friend. The need for support hasn’t gone away and never will.
Additionally, substance use continues to be a stigmatising and polarising issue. While there has been a gradual shift in recognition and understanding of the problems, there’s still not enough. Stigma silences people affected by substance, and more needs to be done to raise awareness of the issues facing them and ensure their needs are not forgotten.
