Life with Alcohol and Drugs

We speak to Claire and Jess from Routes (our young person's support service in East and West Dunbartonshire) and we talk all about our report 'If It Wasn't For Routes' which looks at the service over the last three years, what's come out of it, the research and findings, and all those sorts of things! We've also got some lovely messages at the end from some of the young people from Routes so make sure to listen out for them.

'There are no words to describe how it feels to have a young person trust you; someone who has been through so much and who doesn't necessarily trust many of the professionals in their life, because they've been through so much, but when that young person finally turns to you and says, 'Okay, yes. I'll go out with you.' Or, 'Actually, yes, I'd like you to help me with that.' Or when they come solely for your help, there are no words to describe how that feels. It's truly amazing to know that you're making a difference on such a deep level. It's fantastic.'

Transcripts are also available here - https://www.sfad.org.uk/life-with-alcohol-and-drugs-podcast 

Daryl, our Inverclyde Family Support Development Officer here at Scottish Families, is joined by Agnes, a family member who attends our Inverclyde service.

They chat about Agnes' personal experiences with attending the support group, and her experience being a family member affected by someone else's alcohol or drug use.

'...it was so overwhelming to feel the strength of the people in that group. And even though yourself, Daryl, or Candice just chaired it, the minute you sat down it was like offloading, you're like emotional hoovers, it was offloading the stress, and you could feel that in the room. It was a really good feeling and they made me very welcome.'

We are here to support you if you are concerned about someone else's alcohol or other drug use. We can chat, offer listening support and information, and link you either into our own services or services local to you. Contact our helpline on 0808 0101011. Email is: [email protected]. Or you can use the webchat on our website, at www.sfad.org.uk. 

The transcript for this episode is available here.

We are joined with Rebecca McColl, the Policy and Research Assistant here at Scottish Families, who chats about the Scottish Families Alcohol Action Group’s first report ‘It’s Everywhere’.

The Group designed a survey to get a better idea of how widely spread alcohol messages are in our homes, communities, online spaces, and other parts of everyday life. The survey was open for views in January/February 2021 and then again in September/October 2021. The report compares the findings and shares them to raise awareness and contribute towards creating positive actions that will reduce alcohol harm in Scotland.

In the first survey alone, 35 people noted over 350 references to alcohol – a major stat!

“The message that alcohol is normal and part of the fabric of daily life is harsh considering the level of harm it causes.”

You can read the report here.

You can also check out the group’s latest activities on their Twitter feed @alcsfad.

In this episode, we are sharing stories from our Hour by Hour with Holding Campaign that was launched in July as a response to the 2021 drug death statistics.

The families supported by Scottish Families’ Holding On service are living with extreme levels of anxiety, stress, exhaustion, chaos, and trauma daily, due to the high risk of drug-related or alcohol-related harm and death within their family.

Each story reflects the level of complexity that comes with supporting a loved one with a substance problem. The stories reveal the severe and debilitating consequences that family members face through every aspect of their lives. This includes lack of sleep, financial issues, witnessing non-fatal overdoses, breakdown of relationships, unresolved trauma, physical and mental health issues, and much more.

These stories echo the words of thousands of families across Scotland who are affected by a loved one’s substance use, including those whose loved ones have died in the past year.

Thank you for listening, if you’re worried about somebody else’s alcohol or drug use you can contact Scottish Families on 08080 10 10 11 or by email at [email protected]. We also have webchat and further information on our website www.sfad.org.uk.

Show notes:

We’re joined with Clare Morrison, our Community Fundraiser, and David Wandrum, a supporter of Scottish Families who ran the Loch Ness Marathon last year and raised an incredible £1,156.

David is also married to Lynne, our Senior Family Support Development Officer here at Scottish Families!

David ran the very scenic Loch Ness Marathon in Scotland for us. He was going to be joined by his friend John, but sadly John had an injury and couldn’t go ahead with it!

David is a serving police officer, so he’s spoken to a lot of families who have been supported by Scottish Families. He says he wish he knew about our charity when he was in a role with the police where he was visiting families regularly, saying he would’ve signposted them to us immediately.

For getting started on running a marathon, David says just to go out and run, don’t let anything hold you back. ‘If it’s something you’ve committed to, you just need to timetable it in and make it work.’

He says the worst bit with running a marathon is always the start. The fear that you’re not ready for this, you’ve not trained enough, and things like that. He says you even look at other people and think they’re faster than you, they have better trainers than you, and it’s ridiculous as that. But as soon as you start running, you settle down and it becomes easier.

‘I’m no superman and I’ve got myself to running marathons and further comfortably, and I’m not anything special. So, it is very doable. But it’s hard work as well at the same time – I’m not going to lie to you!’

If you would like to take part in a running challenge for Scottish Families, please get in touch with Clare at [email protected] and she is more than happy to discuss anything you may be interested in doing!

There are lots of events still happening this year! We have discounted places at the Loch Ness Marathon in Inverness this October, we also have places for the Virtual London Marathon that takes place in October too. And we have the Men’s 10K and Women’s 10K in Edinburgh – in, you guessed it, October!

Transcript of this episode: https://www.sfad.org.uk/life-with-alcohol-and-drugs-podcast 

Carrying on in our mindfulness series, we are bringing you the final part of 'Mindfulness with Stephanie'. These short sessions will go through different practices and techniques for our listeners. 

Part 3 is all about the STOP practice which stands for: S is for just stop. T is for take a breath. O is for observe what's going on within yourself at the point in time where you are stopping. P has several meanings: it can mean to pull back, get some perspective, and then proceed with whatever is going in in your day. This useful practice can be all you need for your day.

Mindfulness Scotland website: https://www.mindfulnessscotland.org.uk/ 

Transcript of this episode: https://www.sfad.org.uk/life-with-alcohol-and-drugs-podcast 

Carrying on in our mindfulness series, we are bringing you part two of 'Mindfulness with Stephanie'. These short sessions will go through different practices and techniques for our listeners. 

Part 2 is all about a gratitude practice which can support you if you are stressed and help you overcome stressful feelings.

Mindfulness Scotland website: https://www.mindfulnessscotland.org.uk/ 

Transcript of this episode: https://www.sfad.org.uk/life-with-alcohol-and-drugs-podcast 

Welcome to another episode of Life With Alcohol And Drugs. In this special episode, we are bringing you part one of 'Mindfulness with Stephanie' which will be a 3-part series. These short sessions will go through different practices and techniques for our listeners. 

Part 1 is all about a grounding practice with a short background on mindfulness and how it can support you.

Mindfulness Scotland website: https://www.mindfulnessscotland.org.uk/ 

Transcript of this episode: https://www.sfad.org.uk/life-with-alcohol-and-drugs-podcast 

Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs' latest report ‘There’s Only So Much One Person Can Do – A ‘Deep Dive’ into Family Support in Scotland’ has identified an ongoing lack of vital support services for families affected by someone else’s substance use.

We carried out a ‘Deep Dive’ of family support services across Scotland to get a better understanding of what family support looks like across the country and how well it is resourced.

In this episode, we speak to the report writer, Rebecca McColl (Policy and Research Assistant at Scottish Families) who shares with us the key findings!

You can read the whole report here.

If you are worried about someone else’s alcohol or drug use, you can contact our Helpline on 08080 10 10 11 / [email protected]. Webchat is also available www.sfad.org.uk.

In this episode we speak to Kirsten Holland, the Fife Family Support Development Officer here at Scottish Families. She updates us on the service (after being in post nearly a year!) and tells us about her exciting presentation with the Saga University Hospital in Japan!

If you live in Fife and are looking for support, you can get in touch with Kirsten directly at [email protected].

If you are worried about someone else’s alcohol or drug use, you can contact our Helpline on 08080 10 10 11 / [email protected]. Webchat is also available www.sfad.org.uk.