Ms Marian Sloan:

Yes, it would capture the family holistically. The same questions about types of drugs and so on are asked. The fields include ones relating to demographics, substance use, the treatment programme and the person's history of engaging with services. They are very detailed, but some of these families have very little knowledge about primary drug issues, secondary drugs and so on, and it is totally inappropriate to ask so many detailed questions of families regarding the person in addiction and his or her use. It should be geared more towards what is going on within the family, the siblings that may be involved and the mental health concerns of the family members. As Ms McKenna said, they need to have a roadmap detailing how to access services. Historically, families would have left the person at the door and they would not be included in the service provision at any level, the discussion of it or the care plan.

There was a pilot scheme in Dundalk when Turas developed the community-based alcohol detoxification programme. Because it was community based, it involved a family member or other support person being given access, or being recommended to be given access, to the Family Addiction Support Network. Very interesting things could have happened there, if money had been available, regarding the parallel journey when parents and other family members go into their own recovery, learn more about addiction and realise how, in many ways, they may have enabled the person in addiction.

The ten-week educational programme the Rise Foundation runs is very good. It will be interesting to see the impact that has in working with the person who has gone into some kind of recovery programme himself or herself. What happens is - I have personal experience of working with people in this regard - the families will be more in tune with what is going on. Perhaps they have enabled the person, not deliberately but because they do not know how to manage this issue that has come into their lives.

It definitely impacts on the person in addiction because they realise they cannot go back and feed into the family. The lies are perpetuated. They are experts in avoiding the truth for lots of reasons to keep their secret a secret within the family but when the truth is worked together, amazing results can happen and families are transformed.