Understanding recovery from a family perspective: A survey of life in recovery for families
A new Alcohol Research UK funded research project has explored the family experience of recovery, highlighting the wide-reaching impact alcohol dependence can have but also the significant benefits to families from recovery.
The findings are the first large-scale evidence of the experience of recovery for the people close to those with alcohol problems, conducted by the Family Life in Recovery project led by the Department of Law and Criminology at Sheffield Hallam University and Adfam. A blog by Dr James Nicholls, Director of Policy and Research Development, highlighted that problems such as mental health, interpersonal violence and financial issues were alleviated, to some degree, as loved ones recovered.
Key findings from the research include:
- Family members are both a resource to support recovery, and people whose own lives can be transformed through recovery, and who will benefit from their family member’s recovery journey.
- Heavy and dependent drinking is associated with a range of secondary problems within families, including financial problems, mental health issues, problems at work and interpersonal violence.
- ‘Recovery’ journeys are experienced by families as a period of positive change, but also emotional challenge, and starting on this journey does not mean full or immediate reversal of the damage done.
- Where recovery is successful, family members can experience significant improvements to quality of life and wellbeing, including reduced domestic conflict, less use of healthcare, and improved personal finances.
- By comparison to successful recovery, relapse can lead to poorer physical and psychological health, and poorer quality of life for family members
Other recently released Alcohol Research UK funded projects
Findings from a range of other alcohol-related projects funded by Alcohol Research UK are available to access including:
- Supporting nurse mentors to reduce the barriers to implementing alcohol Interventions and Brief Advice (IBA) in primary care
- A systematic review of alcohol interventions for people living with and beyond cancer
- A review of alcohol media literacy interventions and potential applications for a UK context
- Accessibility and suitability of residential alcohol treatment for older adults
- ‘Wet’ care homes for older people with refractory alcohol problems: A qualitative study
- The Sandwell multi-agency management group for high impact problem drinkers – interim evaluation
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