Life in recovery: a families’ perspective

Although the Life in Recovery series has provided valuable insights into the transformation of the lives of people in recov- ery and has helped to frame that by recovery method and approach, by gender and by location, it has not assessed the impact of recovery on those immediately surrounding the person in recovery. The Families Living in Addiction and Recovery (FLAR) survey was an attempt to address this by inviting family members to report on their experiences, as witnesses and in their own right as people going through their own version of recovery. Based on two half-day work- shops in London and Sheffield, a revised survey for family members was developed that assessed the family member ’ s observations of recovery and their own personal journey. In total, 1,565 surveys were completed and returned, reflecting much of the positive experience of the previous surveys. They also showed the extent of adverse effects of addiction and the subsequent benefits of recovery to family members. However, recovery is not a linear process, and much of the data in this article discusses the impact of user relapse on family member functioning. The implications for ongoing support for family members and further research around the recovery journeys of family members are discussed.