FDS Support Group Evaluation 2013-14 - page 13

FDS Support Groups Evaluation 2014.
13
Reduces conflict within the family
Drug use creates enormous conflict and anger within families, as the family tries to
resolve the problem and get the person using to stop, and to see what they are doing to
themselves and the family.
7
It also creates conflict between parents as they struggle to
work out how to deal with the problem, or, as one parent said: “
You feel so hopeless
and helpless, and you end up very divided
.” Another parent said her observation was
that it is often the case that one parent takes a hard line whilst the other parent tries to
take a softer approach, of trying to help and talk it through, and that these differences
in approaches often led to conflict.
Coming to the Support Group (and also attending the Stepping Stones workshop) was
seen as very helpful for parents in reducing conflict in their families, as these
comments show:
“It caused a great deal of angst between us and him and even between me and my
wife. We were always on edge waiting for the telephone call to say he had been killed
in a crash because he had a few crashes in cars over the years. Over the last few
years we have learned not to worry as much because of attending the FDS meetings
and sharing our concerns.”
“Coming to the support group helped us both change our perspective. We got to move
more towards the middle, and work together. Stepping Stones was also very helpful
with that.”
“I think as the overly responsible parent, I got to see I could let them go”.
Self care
With all the focus on the drug user and all the associated stresses, family members
can neglect to take care of themselves psychologically and physically (“
For years all
we talked about was our son
.”) As such, high levels of psychological distress and
deteriorating health are commonly reported problems.
8
This was also the experience
of the parents in this evaluation, with anxiety, high stress levels and chronic health
problems all reported, particularly in the stages when they were coming to terms with
their family member’s drug use.
7
Barnard, M. (2005). Drugs in the family: The impact on parents and siblings. Glasgow:
Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
8
Barnard, M. (2005). Drugs in the family: The impact on parents and siblings. Glasgow:
Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
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