January 1, Byron Shire EchoArticlesIt need not be a never-ending nightmareMandy Nolan examines support for families living with drug addictionHow do you cope with having a drug addicted family member Its an issue that is shrouded in social stigma and fear. As other parents boast about their high achieving honours student others must quietly bear the grief of a drug addicted teenage son who rarely leaves his room and suffers from constant bouts of psychosis. Family members of drug dependents are often told how to manage what is often an unmanageable situation, with hardline advice such as Kick them out or Cut them out of your life until theyre clean. For a parent who fears losing their child this is an impossible task, and statistically its been proven that close involvement with family members is often what supports people to achieve recovery. In supporting a drug addicted family member it is often the case that the person loses sight of their own life as all their efforts are directed towards coping with their situation.
family drug support
is a non-prot support group run by family members of drug dependents that brings the focus back to the parents and carers and supports them to focus on their lives again. Margaret is a mother of a drug-addicted son. She participated in the stepping stones
training program run by Family Drug Support and then went on to Hey, I am important, I am learning to value the journey and whatever the result of that journey, my life will continue. Family Drug Support offer a hour phone counselling service staffed by volunteers trained during the Stepping Stones program. This means that the person who takes the call also has a drug addicted family member and can provide the kind of empathy and support needed in a crisis. Theo believes that the volunteer program is what helps people take back their own lives. Ninety per cent of the people who work for us are volunteers. We took , calls last year with an average length of minutes. We are non-judgemental, non-religious and we are total advocates of the process, because it works. Our approach with people is whatever gets you through is OK. We dont judge. Family Drug Support has scheduled a Stepping Stones Program for Byron Bay. Bookings are essential, and can be made by phoning Theo Chang on . The course is free to FDS members, and joining fee for non-members. The program runs for two weekends at the Byron Bay Community Centre, Saturday and Sunday January and and January and from 9.am4pm daily Family Drug Support also has a hour support line become an integral member of the support program which now has regular weekly meetings. It was a program that has given her new hope. Stepping Stones has changed my life and my approach to coping with the chaos in my life. I feel much more balanced and can recognise when things start to unravel rather than be caught in the middle of unravelling when I am too far in to get out unscathed. The importance of setting boundaries and nding somewhere tohelp me keep those boundaries in place has come from Stepping Stones, and more particularly from the wonderful people I met at the workshop. Chloe, another parent of a drug addicted child, reected similar sentiments. It was a great relief, she said, to be with other family members struggling with similar issues as I had felt so isolated with our situation and as though I was continually failing as a Mum. Theo Chang is the Mid North Coast Area Managerfor Family Drug Support, and facilitates the initial two weekend program. After setting up successful programs throughout NSW he believes that this is an effective community strategy in supporting affected families. One of the things that people say is that it is an incredible relief to tell your story and to keep on telling it until it is all out. The nonjudgemental atmosphere gives people permission to share dark, dark things, and sharing the story brings out the collective wisdom of the experience. To date, most drug and alcohol programs have focused on the addict. Someeven name the supporting family member the enabler, without taking into account that this is a parent who is deeply worried about losing their child. Stepping Stones offers confidential ongoing support that recognises how the addiction affects everyone in a family. The result of family members seeking help is often positive for the person with a drug dependency as they learn to set boundaries and may start to respond to old situations in new ways. Theo echoes the important sentiments that are passed on to people in the Stepping Stones Project. We remind people that,State govt appeases developers againPsychodrama Training Professional Development The theory and practice of psychodrama, sociodrama, sociometry, role theory and group work for Health and Allied Professionals Organisational and Community Developers Psychologists and Counsellors Educators and Teachers Group Workers and Social Workers Prelude to training Monday th and th February, for all those interested in joining training for . Visit and follow the prompts for full details of dates, costs, outcomes, and general information about psychodrama before contacting Diz on or . Diz will then contact you.Swimming pools, playgrounds and other basic community facilities across NSW are under threat due to State Government plans to slash development contributions. The governments changes would deprive councils and their communities of hundreds of millions of dollars for basic social infrastructure. According to President of the Local Government Association of NSW, Cr Genia McCaffery, Councils across the state are likely to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for crucial infrastructure if the changes proceed. For many councils that means planned facilities like community and aquatic centres wont be built, while others will be delayed or reduced in quality or size. It is not an exaggeration to say we are looking at a return tothe s a time of low quality, crowded and fragmented parks and libraries. While the Government persistently berates councils and makes a song and dance about its planning discussion paper, it hasnt been so keen to publicise these changes or the planned introduction of a new State Infrastructure Levy in growth areas. Its taxation by stealth. City of Sydney Council could lose between m and million under the changes, and North Sydney would stand to lose around million threatening public open space improvements, extension and improvements to the pool, library and other community centres. In Queanbeyan, the council says construction of a multi-purpose centre, a cultural centre and a swimming pool would have to reassessed.Not only is the Government planning to slash the amount of funds councils can collect in development contributions, but it is also going to dictate what the remaining funds can be used for, President of the Shires Association of NSW, Cr Bruce Miller said. Despite a 6.3 billion infrastructure backlog, councils currently provide high quality, centrally located community and recreational facilities which are required for liveable, functional communities. In the Governments haste to appease developers they have failed to assess how serious the ramifications of the changes will be for NSW communities. These funds are required to support population increases and the demand for new and improved infrastructure brought on by new development.
