I’m worried about someone else
We can support you and someone you care about.
We offer a wide range of materials to help families, friends and employers to understand the nature of addiction. It is often a frightening and lonely world, when you are trying to support and handle a relative with addiction problems. You may feel responsibility, shame, fear…and be desperate to find a resolution.
Please be reassured that whatever you are experiencing is not your fault, nor is it your responsibility to resolve. Livingstone House offers support sessions to provide you with advice and information – and involves you in the rehabilitation process by facilitating visits and time with your friend or family member. We are on this journey together.
Understanding addiction
Be supportive to your family member’s wish to come to Livingstone House. It may cause domestic difficulties…you may live some distance and find travelling difficult, but remember that this short space of time will impact postively on the rest of your family’s lives.
You can help by reading our family information, visiting your family member at agreed times and attending our family sessions. Your input and support is invaluable to the person who is receiving treatment.
We provide advice in the tabs below, expand each one to read more. If you’re still not sure, you can always contact us.
How do I talk to a loved one about their drinking/drug abuse?
Reaching out to a family member is often the first step to helping them onto the road to recovery. Honesty is the best approach; however, avoid accusations and stereotyping. Use empathic language to demonstrate that you care.
Developing trust and authentic connections will allow your loved one to open up to you. Research into the local support available and avoid ultimatums. This will lead to your loved one isolating their problems from you. Ultimately, you should encourage seeking help from a professional organisation.
Writing a letter to a loved one
Once in treatment we encourage supportive letters, and social connections.
All letters are scan read for appropriateness. What you may think is ok, from our experience can be detrimental. E.g. High Frequency of letters can lead to fixation on what is happening outside the treatment setting. Permission giving language or diarising events that give excuses for your loved one to leave. Explicit language or promotion of inappropriate topics.
We also ask families at specific points to write a damage letter, detailing specific events, emotions, and general feeling towards your loved. Ideally this should lay out significant life events and ways in which their addiction has impacted you as a family. This will be explained in more details by support staff and you will be guided through this.
Meet with us
We would welcome you to meet with us ideally before admission on admission and at specific points during the treatment journey.
Family conferences
Family conferences or mediation is available and offered to all families, this can be done in person or via digital media platforms.
This is an opportunity to for your loved one and yourselves to have an intimate conversation that is facilitate by a trained professional.
During your loved one's treatment
Regular contact with your loved one will be via, 20 min Phone calls -twice weekly and 30 min Video calls once weekly.
From 4 weeks – visiting is allowed once a mediation session has been facilitated. Visiting is 3 hours long externally so your family can take you out of the treatment environment every two weeks.
From 17 weeks your visiting can increase to 8 hours.
From 20 weeks over night stays are negotiable depending on travel times
Support for you
Telephone line direct to Staff office operates 24 hours per day.
Key workers will be assigned to your loved one and they will offer family support, and signposting in the community.
Family workshops and open days are offered at points throughout the year.
Worried about someone at work?
You may be concerned about a colleague who is showing signs of addiction. Here are some methods that may help you approach and direct them to the right support.
What to do:
- Develop a trusting relationship with your colleague before talking specifically about their addiction. Take a lunch break together or involve them more in office conversations, you can become a listening ear and help/support will be more well received.
- Do some research on available help and support. Find mutual aid groups locally such as Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous or SMART recovery. You could even offer support by accompanying them to a meeting.
What not to do:
- Avoid being directly challenging. It may stir up negative emotions in your colleague and cause a further downward spiral. Be supportive and kind with your approach.
- Gossip. Your associate may already be feeling self conscious without hearing rumours circulating about themselves. This may make them feel even worse. If you are concerned and do not want to approach your colleague directly, speak to a manager in confidence.
