Helpful Resources
If you are affected or bereaved by a loved one’s harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling, it can help to hear from others who understand. We have gathered research, books, podcasts, and talks that you may find useful, wherever you are in your journey.
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Research papers
| Title | Summary | Year | Read Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Families Affected by Addiction: A Handbook | A free, international collection of chapters on how a loved one's harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling affects families, and what support helps. Covers stigma, bereavement, and different types of support. | 2025 | Read online |
| The 5-Step Method: Evidence and Implementation | Looks at the evidence behind the 5-Step Method, the approach at the heart of our one to one and group support. Family members reported less strain on their health and felt better able to cope. | 2025 | Read online |
| Helping family members affected by a relative's substance use or gambling: an evaluation study of the 5-Step Method | Family members in the Netherlands felt much less burdened after 5-Step Method support, and this lasted at least three months. Support given remotely worked well. | 2024 | Read online |
| Addiction across substance use, gambling, and screen: a scoping review of coping strategies | Brings together 64 studies on how people cope when someone they love is affected by addiction. It separates ways of coping aimed at the loved one from ways of protecting your own wellbeing. | 2026 | Read online |
| Experience of Family Members of Relatives With Substance Use Disorders: An Integrative Literature Review | Reviews 26 studies on what family members go through, including difficult decisions about how to respond, the impact of stigma, and the support families say they need. | 2024 | Read online |
| Exploring the Distinction Between Support and Enabling in Families | Explores how parents tell the difference between supporting a loved one and "enabling", a question many families ask. | 2026 | Read online |
| Online Peer-Led Support Program for Affected Family Members | Online peer-led support helped family members feel more confident. People especially valued connecting with others and having a skilled facilitator. | 2024 | Read online |
| Family members' perspectives of laws, policies and practices in substance use disorders treatment | 87 family members describe how hard it can be to find and navigate care for a loved one, and the powerlessness this can bring. | 2026 | Read online |
| Affected others' perspectives on the burden, drivers, and prevention of gambling-related harms | Adults and young people in the UK describe how someone else's gambling affected their mental health, relationships, and family security, often hidden by stigma and secrecy. | 2026 | Read online |
| Lived experiences of affected others | UK research with adults affected by someone else's gambling. It covers how long it took to recognise what was happening, the impact on money, relationships, and health, and why people don't always seek support. | 2026 | Read online |
Books
| Title | Author | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mum, Can You Lend Me Twenty Quid? What Drugs Did to My Family | Elizabeth Burton-Phillips MBE | The moving story of our founder, whose twin sons both experienced addiction to heroin. It follows her family's journey, the loss of her son Nick, and how Addiction Family Support began. Content note: this book discusses suicide. | Find out more Listen to the audiobook |
| Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change | Jeffrey Foote, Carrie Wilkens and Nicole Kosanke | A warm, hopeful book for families that moves away from "tough love" and waiting for someone to hit rock bottom. It focuses on looking after yourself, positive communication, and kinder ways of responding. | Find out more |
| Families Affected by Addiction: A Handbook | Edited by Gerhard Bischof, Richard Velleman, Jim Orford and others | A free book from leading researchers on how addiction affects families and the support that helps. More detailed than most, but you can dip into the chapters that feel relevant to you. | Find out more |
| Understanding and Helping an Addict (and keeping your sanity) | Andrew Proulx MD | Medical doctor and addiction survivor Dr Andrew Proulx explains how addictive substances affect the brain, why addicts behave as they do, and how loved ones can build a bond that encourages recovery, stop enabling them, and protect their own sanity. | Find out more |
| Don't Let Your Kids Kill You: A Guide for Parents of Drug and Alcohol Addicted Children | Charles Rubin | A self-help guide for parents powerless to stop a childās drug or alcohol abuse. Drawing on spiritual yet practical teachings and parentsā own stories, it shows how to let go, protect yourself, and recognise and support genuine requests for help. | Find out more |
Podcasts
| Podcast | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Life with Alcohol and Drugs | From the UK charity Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs. Episodes cover topics including bereavement, creative ways of coping, and positive communication with your loved one. | Listen |
| Addiction and the Family | Made by and for family members, with honest conversations with families, people in recovery, and professionals. | Listen |
| Begin Again with Davina McCall: We Saved Each Other From Addiction | Davina and her best friend Sarah Hiscox talk honestly about loving someone experiencing addiction, setting boundaries, and rebuilding their friendship. Content note: discusses eating disorders and overdose, and contains strong language. | Listen |
| Helping Families Help | Evidence-based conversations about how families can respond to a loved one's harmful use, including kinder alternatives to arguing and pleading. | Listen |
| The Problem Gambling Podcast | From Extern Problem Gambling in Ireland. One episode focuses on the challenges faced by family members, partners, and other loved ones of someone who gambles. | Listen |
| Fold 'em: Effects of Gambling on Spouses and Family | A gambling counsellor talks with two partners about how gambling affected their lives, and shares encouragement for others in the same position. | Listen |
Videos and Talks
| Title | Speaker | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| The island of sanity: Navigating through loved ones' addictions | Karen Perlmutter | A talk about how families can protect their own wellbeing and find calm when a loved one is experiencing addiction. | Watch |
| Wasted: Exposing the Family Effect of Addiction | Sam Fowler | A sister shares how her brother's addiction changed life for the whole family, a perspective that is rarely heard. | Watch |
| Dealing with Addiction: How to Live Knowing Your Child Might Die | Karen Hardy | A mother talks about putting her own wellbeing first while her son experienced addiction to heroin. Content note: this talk discusses the possibility of losing a child. | Watch |
Bereavement Resources
| Resource | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Supporting People Bereaved through a Drug- or Alcohol-Related Death (book) | Edited by Peter Cartwright. Written for people who support the bereaved, with its first part written with bereaved readers in mind. It explains why these bereavements can be especially complex, and what helps. | Read online |
| Sudden and Unexplained Deaths (booklet) | Written by family members who lost a loved one through alcohol or drugs. Please note that the information on legal processes applies to Scotland. | Read online |
| Bereavement Through Addiction: The Impact of Drug-Related Death on Families and Friends (research) | Brings together research on how a drug-related death affects families and friends, including stigma, complicated grief, and the support people need. | Read online |
| Drug-Death Related Bereavement and Social Support (research) | People bereaved through a drug-related death often had little contact with others in the same situation. It shows how valuable connecting with others can be. | Read online |
| Does "Time Heal all Wounds?" Prolonged Grief Among Drug-Death Bereaved Family Members (research) | Found that grief after a drug-related death does not always ease with time, and that parents were most affected. It shows why longer-term support matters. | Read online |
| Posttraumatic Growth Among Siblings Bereaved by a Drug-Related Death (research) | Siblings describe finding personal strength and a new appreciation of life, alongside their grief. | Read online |
Need to talk?
If anything on this page brings up difficult feelings, you don’t have to face it alone. Call our helpline on 0300 888 3853, seven days a week, and speak confidentially with someone who understands.
For other organisations that may be able to help, visit our Useful Contacts page.
About these resources
The resources on this page are shared as information you may find helpful. Many are created by other organisations and people, and we do not control their content. Including a resource here does not mean Addiction Family Support endorses every view it contains. Some content may be upsetting, particularly if you have been bereaved. Links to external websites open in a new tab, and we cannot take responsibility for their accuracy or availability. Research papers remain the work of their authors and publishers.