Family Support - Adults

Single Point of Entry (SPOE)

If you want to access our Family Support service, or just find out a bit more about it, please call us on 0121 301 4141.

Our SPOE team members can answer your questions and put you in touch with a Family Support worker.

We know it’s hard

Having someone with a drug or alcohol problem in your family is possibly one of the most stressful experiences you can have: your feeling of helplessness as your family member gradually succumbs to a force they cannot control and you cannot influence; the breakdown of trust that results from lies and manipulation; the possibility of domestic violence; your ignorance of the immediate and long-term health risks; your lack of understanding of the nature of addiction; your feelings of isolation, guilt and shame as other members of your family, and society in general, silently accuse you of being responsible for the situation.

You are not alone. There are thousands of people just like you in Solihull. There are things you can do to help yourself, to help the person with the drug or alcohol problem and to help your wider family. You are part of the treatment and you can help your family member on the road to recovery. If the person you care about is not ready to enter treatment, we can still enable you and other family members to improve the quality of your lives.

SIAS has family workers who specialise in support for family members or others who are concerned about someone’s drinking and/or drugs use or gambling. We also aim to involve family members as much as possible in treatment plans.

We offer a range of free, confidential and non-judgmental, assistance including:

  • advice and information on what you can do to support the person who is drinking, using drugs or gambling;
  • one-to-one sessions providing a space to explore how you are affected by the person’s substance misuse or gambling, and strategies for dealing with it;
  • We also have a family group which meets once a month throughout the year.

Understand how to help rather than enable

If you can answer ‘yes’ to one or more of the following questions then, even though you do not realise it, you could be enabling your family member or friend in their addiction.
  • Do you bail them out with money issues?
  • Do you cover up for them?
  • Do you forgive unacceptable behaviour?
  • Do you neglect other family members?
  • Do you buy drugs or alcohol for them?
  • Do you use drugs or drink with them?
  • Do you help them use drugs or alcohol without meaning to?
Our Family Support service can help you learn how to support your loved one without supporting their addiction and to look after yourself at the same time.
The road to recovery
The good news is that many of those with drug or alcohol problems eventually make a full recovery and move on. This journey may take a considerable time and there may be many setbacks on the way. As a family member or friend you are in a position to promote recovery through the way you behave and what you say. It may be helpful for you to be involved in the treatment of your family member or friend, provided that they agree to this. At the appropriate point on their road to recovery we would seek to reach an agreement between all parties on the way information could be shared between one another and how you could be involved in their recovery programme.