DrugFAM was founded in 2006 by Elizabeth
Burton-Phillips MBE, in memory of her son, Nicholas Mills.
For over ten years, Nick, and his twin brother
Simon, were addicted to hard drugs which had a devastating impact on both young
men and drew them both into poverty, ill-health and crime. Powerless, the
family lived in continual fear for Nick and Simon’s lives whilst depleting
their life savings repaying the twins’ drug debts to criminal gangs. After many
attempts to quit using drugs permanently; Nick ended his own life in 2004, aged
just 27.
DrugFAM exists so that no family member, friend, or
carer need face these challenges alone. Last year, we supported 2,800
families and positively impacted the lives of over 800 children who had direct
contact with the user.
DrugFAM’s support falls under three main pillars;
Education (where we do talks, we have a book, play and a podcast), Active
Addiction (where we run a helpline from 0900 to 2100, 365 days per year) and
Bereavement Support (where we supported 323 families in 2018).
When someone discovers that a loved one is using
drugs, they may avoid seeking help initially, often believing that they can
help the addict themselves.
Sadly, this is rarely the case, and when a family
member’s drug use has been prolonged or repeated, the people closest to them
often realise that they simply cannot cope any longer and don’t know what to do
next. This is often when families make contact with DrugFAM for the first time,
seeking psychological support at a time of complex trauma and at times in
moments of grief.
Links
Website: www.drugfam.co.uk
Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/drugfam/
Twitter: @DrugFAM