Life with Alcohol and Drugs
Life with Alcohol and Drugs is the podcast from charity Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs. We support anyone concerned about someone else’s alcohol or drug use in Scotland. We give information and advice to many people and help them with confidence, communication, general wellbeing, and we link them into local support. We also help people recognise and understand the importance of looking after themselves. Our podcast features guest speakers and topics concerning life with alcohol and drugs and offers support and advice to anyone who needs it.
Episodes
In the final episode of the series, we reflect on the future of family inclusive practice. We discuss what changes are still needed across services and systems, and why families must remain central to conversations around alcohol and drug support in Scotland.
In part four, Robbie and Daryl discuss some of the challenges and barriers that can prevent family inclusive practice from happening effectively. They explore issues such as stigma, lack of resources, and difficulties navigating support systems - and what can be done to overcome them.
In this episode, Robbie and Daryl look at what effective family inclusive practice looks like in real-world settings. From communication and trust to involving families in meaningful ways, they explore the practical steps services can take to improve support.
In part two of the series, Daryl focuses on the experiences of families affected by someone else’s alcohol or drug use. We discuss the emotional impact on families, why support is essential, and how services can better recognise and respond to family members’ needs.
In the first episode of this five-part series, we are joined by Daryl McLeister, Family Inclusive Practice Development Officer at Scottish Families, to explore the basics of family inclusive practice.
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...
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...
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 Septem...
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...
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...
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 ...
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/
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.
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 ...
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 kirsten@sfad.org.uk.
In this episode, we are joined by Lena McMillan - the Forth Valley Family Support Development Officer for Scottish Families, and Beverly who is a volunteer with us. They chat about our Scottish Families book group which has now been running for over a year! They take us through some of the books they have read, the importance of reading, and what their all time favourite book is.
The Scottish Families Book Group is for anyone who ...
In this episode, we are joined by Tich Watson who is the Scottish Families Connecting Families Development Officer and John Taylor who is the Friends and Family Lead for Turning Point.
John is here to chat about his new book ‘Alcohol Stole My Mum’, he shares his experiences, journey, and the process behind writing his book.
Alcohol Stole My Mum: Order a Copy - https://alcoholstolemymum.co.uk/
Please note that there are some scenari...
In this episode, our Fundraising Manager Sarah is chatting to Christina, who took on a fundraising challenge in 2021 for Scottish Families. Sarah also gives some tips and advice if you're looking to do your own Scottish Families fundraising challenge in 2022.
We hope you’re ready to take on a fundraising challenge this year!
In this festive episode, we're joined by the lovely Lynne, who is our senior Family Support Development Officer, here at Scottish Families.
We're talking all things Christmas, some bits of advice for over the Christmas period, and also we've had some family members share insight into what their Christmases are.
Our Helpline will be open over the festive period and you can find out more information here.
For this special episode for Alcohol Awareness Week, we’re joined with Daryl McLeister, the Family Support Development Officer for our Inverclyde Family Support Service and Colin McIntosh, the Family Support Development Officer for our East Dunbartonshire Family Support Service. They both also run our Men’s Family Support Group!
To find out about support available in Inverclyde contact Daryl directly on 07554 686672, email: daryl@s...
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