Bereaved by Addiction

This booklet is for anyone bereaved through drug or alcohol use, including parents, siblings, partners, grandparents, children, friends or anyone else. Through reading it, we hope you will find some ways to help you handle this difficult time a little more easily, and that you will realise you are not alone.

All of us at DrugFam are really sorry to hear about your loss. Many of us have also lost loved ones through drugs or alcohol and though we can’t know what you’re going through since your story will be unique, we would like to share a few ideas about what bereavement is and why and how it affects us so deeply. We also consider some of the specific difficulties often faced by those bereaved by drugs or alcohol.

We hope you can find something in what follows which might help you to cope a little more easily and not feel so alone over the next months. Nothing can lessen your pain at this time but, it can help to know that you are not alone and there is hope for the future. This is an information booklet. Though we hope you will find much that is helpful, and some useful pointers, it is general in nature and painful issues are dealt with very briefly. Some parts may resonate with you and others may not. Perhaps you can think of it as somewhere to start as you wonder where and how to find the help you need in the months ahead.

Dip in and out of what follows, as suits you. You may well find it hard to concentrate or take in information just now. Ignore the bits that don’t feel relevant at the moment and do whatever helps you most.