Addiction Family Support

31/08/2026

On 31 August, communities around the world will mark International Overdose Awareness Day. This year is a significant one: 25 years of the campaign, under the theme "25 Years On. Still Needed." 💜

The message at its heart is a hopeful one. Overdose is preventable. When we speak openly, share what we know, and treat one another with care, fewer lives are lost.

Behind every overdose is a family. Many of the people we support at Addiction Family Support have been bereaved by a loved one's overdose, following harmful use of alcohol or drugs. That grief can be heavy, and it often carries a silence and stigma all of its own.

If that's you, you don't have to face it alone. Our free, evidence-based 5-Step Method supports anyone affected or bereaved by a loved one's harmful use of alcohol or drugs, helping you feel heard, understood, and a little more able to cope.

Our helpline is open seven days a week on 0300 888 3853.

International Overdose Awareness Day

25/08/2026

Grief is hard. Grief after losing someone to addiction can be harder still, tangled up with stigma, silence, and feelings that are difficult to put into words. 🤍

If that's you, your grief is real, and you don't have to carry it alone.

This year we began offering specialist bereavement support for people bereaved by a loved one's harmful use of alcohol, drugs or gambling. The first clients to complete it all showed improvement.

When you're ready, we're here. 0300 888 3853

More in our 2025 Annual Report: https://addictionfamilysupport.org.uk/annual-report/

18/08/2026

Picking up the phone can be the hardest part. It can also be the moment things start to feel a little lighter. 📞

Last year, 2,603 people reached our helpline, the highest number in several years. And 96.9% of them told us they benefitted from the call.

If a loved one's harmful use of alcohol, drugs or gambling is weighing on you, there is someone here who understands, seven days a week.

0300 888 3853

Our 2025 Annual Report is out now: https://addictionfamilysupport.org.uk/annual-report/

11/08/2026

Does supporting the family really make a difference? Our 2025 Annual Report says yes. 💚

People who completed our 5-Step Method support reported an average 43% improvement in how they were coping by the end of their sessions. Three months later, that had risen to 51%. Support that lasts.

Alongside that, 88% of clients said contacting Addiction Family Support made a positive difference to them, and 80% would recommend us to a friend, family member or colleague.

When someone is affected by a loved one's harmful use of alcohol, drugs or gambling, the right support at the right time changes things.

Read the full report: https://addictionfamilysupport.org.uk/annual-report/

04/08/2026

Wonderful news to share!

Addiction Family Support has been awarded £20,000 by The National Lottery Community Fund, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players.

Over the next 12 months, this funding will help us support more families affected or bereaved by a loved one's harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling across London and the South East. Ours is a community defined by shared experience, and this grant means we can reach people at the earliest possible stage, bringing them together and helping them find strength in one another.

A heartfelt thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund and to everyone who plays The National Lottery. Your support makes a real difference to families who so often feel alone.

If you or someone you know is affected or bereaved by a loved one's harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling, we're here for you. Our free helpline is open seven days a week on 0300 888 3853, or visit addictionfamilysupport.org.uk

The National Lottery Community Fund

28/07/2026

We did it. 💚

Our Summer Appeal has closed, and thanks to 206 incredible donations, we have raised £21,300, exceeding our £20,000 target and making this the most successful appeal in Addiction Family Support's history.

Twenty years ago, Elizabeth Burton-Phillips MBE founded this charity after losing her son Nick, with a simple belief: that no other family should face that kind of pain alone. This summer, our donors helped make sure they do not have to.

Every pound raised goes directly towards keeping our services free for people affected or bereaved by a loved one's harmful use of alcohol, drugs or gambling. No government funding. Just people who believe this work matters.

Thank you. From all of us. 💚

27/07/2026

We are so grateful. 💚

Sir Anthony Seldon, one of our longest-standing patrons, has recorded a personal video message in support of our Summer Appeal, and we could not be more thankful.

A widely respected authority on education, AI and leadership, Sir Anthony has been with us since the very beginning, twenty years ago when Elizabeth Burton-Phillips MBE founded Addiction Family Support after losing her son Nick. His insight into the challenges addiction poses to families and communities underpins his commitment to our work, and his support over two decades has meant more than words can say.

We are so proud to have him as part of our family.

There are just 24 hours left of our Summer Appeal. We have raised £16,200 from 204 donations towards our £20,000 target. Twenty thousand pounds for twenty years of being there.

If you have been thinking about donating, today is the day. Every pound keeps our services free for families who have nowhere else to turn.

Donate here: https://addictionfamilysupport.org.uk/donations/twenty-years-of-being-there/

24/07/2026

Twenty years in, and we are just getting started. 💚

Our helpline receives around 800 calls every month. We supported over 3,300 people in 2025. 87% of our clients are women, most of them mothers, navigating one of the hardest things a person can face.

We are developing new resources, strengthening our volunteer network and continuing to pilot new programmes. The need has never been greater, and neither has our commitment to meeting it.

If you would like to be part of what comes next, our Summer Appeal is open for one more week.

Donate here: https://addictionfamilysupport.org.uk/donations/twenty-years-of-being-there/

22/07/2026

One week left. £15,478 raised. 181 donations. 💚

We are so close to our £20,000 Summer Appeal target, and we could not have got here without every single person who has donated or shared our campaign this summer.

If you have been thinking about giving, this is the week. Every pound goes directly towards keeping our services free for families affected or bereaved by a loved one's harmful use of alcohol, drugs or gambling.

No government funding. No public subsidy. Just people who care.

Help get us over the line: https://addictionfamilysupport.org.uk/donations/twenty-years-of-being-there/

The leading UK-registered charity for people affected or bereaved by a loved one’s addiction, supporting more than 3,500 people per year through our helpline, one-to-one, couples and group services.

18/07/2026

"I needed to be surrounded by people who genuinely understood these experiences, people who could offer the insight and support my regular friends, despite their love for me, simply could not provide." 💚

That is Matteo, an Addiction Family Support client, describing what brought him to us.

His story is one of loss, love, and learning to heal. And it is a reminder of exactly why our Summer Appeal matters. Every pound raised helps make sure the next person who needs us can find us.

Read Matteo's story: https://addictionfamilysupport.org.uk/finding-a-way-through-matteos-story/

Support our Summer Appeal: https://addictionfamilysupport.org.uk/donations/twenty-years-of-being-there/

Addiction has been part of Matteo’s life for as long as he can remember. Growing up, he was around six or seven years old when his brother fell into the harmful use of co***ne. It was never hidden within the family. Instead, they approached it as a united front, rallying around his brother as he [...