Aberdeen in Recovery (AiR) is hosting a Conversation Café event at the Credo Centre on Saturday 11th September to identify how best to provide tailored support for Affected Family Members (AFM) in Aberdeen.
Recently, you may have noticed Marischal Square turned purple for a night.
This was all part of a peaceful protest, during which people gathered to share the grief of AFM’s who have lost a loved one to addiction.
The demonstration was also designed in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Week and in culmination of Community Planning Aberdeen’s Anti-Stigma campaign in August.
The theme behind the protest and the petition was ‘Time to Remember. Time to Act.’
Now, Aberdeen in Recovery is looking ahead to find out how it can better support family members affected by the addictive behaviour of a loved one.
It’s time to focus on Affected Family Members
AiR is a Lived Experience Recovery Organisation (LERO) that works in conjunction with principal partners Alcohol and Drugs Action (ADA).
Over the years, it has created a comprehensive timetable of recovery-focused groups, sessions, training and learning opportunities.
This is alongside fun and social events to provide meaningful engagement for individuals impacted by addiction personally, and those who wish to engage on a Journey of Change.
AiR now wishes to broaden and improve the support available for Affected Family Members, so that they can receive similar levels and standards of support. Sadly, this has not been provided historically.
So, if you have personal experience of the impact of addictive behaviour of a loved one, the registered Scottish charity is requesting your help.
Could you assist AiR to identify how, where, when and what can best provide specifically tailored assistance for you? One way to do exactly that is by participating in its upcoming event.
Aberdeen in Recovery Conversation Café event – what you need to know
The Conversation Café is Aberdeen in Recovery’s latest development. It forms part of the ‘Recovery Peer Pathway, a joint project run with ADA and funded by the Scottish Government’ National Development Fund.
It is taking place at AIR’s base at The Credo Centre at 14-20 John Street AB25 1BT.
This is happening on September 11, so save the date now!
Doors will open at 11am for an 11.30am start. A High Tea Lunch will be served at 12pm to those attending and participating.
There is space for 60 to attend and you can register for a free ticket to the Conversation Café on Eventbrite.
You can get in touch on 01224 638342 or email info@aberdeeninrecovery.org with any questions.
Advance booking will be required, with tickets available in the first instance to individuals who identify as an Affected Family Member.
The event will start at 11.30am with a welcome and introduction, including an initial short presentation. This will be followed, between 12pm and 1pm, by a hot and cold high tea buffet with refreshments on tap.
The Conversation Café will follow lunch. You may be asking, how does this work? It is a format that’s been used in recovery communities for quite some time.
Three questions will be posed to attendees, all around the provision of family support and any hindrances that may have been experienced in accessing this support.
There will be paper tablecloths, pads and sticky notes to then write down your answers. These will be collected and at a later point reviewed and collated.
Shaping the future of addiction recovery and support in Aberdeen
AiR will be looking at the answers gathered during the Conversation Café to identify any constraints or barriers to accessing support. This will inform future provision, particularly how this will be provided by peers and the LERO of Aberdeen in Recovery.
“We hope that out of the whole event we can identify revolutionary ideas we can put into action really quickly,” says Dermot Craig, Recovery Community Development Management for AiR.
He explains that Aberdeen in Recovery knows there is a need for more family support and is committed to improving this.
Dermot explains: “We knew we had to address this as an organisation. Family support is pretty much non-existent. There’s very limited opportunities, and there is a massive amount of stigma involved which restricts families coming forward.
“There is support needed that is specifically tailored to address the needs of the family member. Not for them to learn how to support their loved better, but for them to learn how to support themselves. In doing so, they will learn how to better support their loved one.”
Learn more about what Naloxone is
There’s been a national campaign educating people about Naloxone, as part of a push on tackling drug deaths, which is sadly a problem in Scotland.
People are being encouraged to learn more and carry Naloxone with them so that if they come across someone in a suspected overdose, they can administer this potentially lifesaving medicine.
“Naloxone is an opioid reversal. If someone has overdosed on opiate it can reverse the dangerous side effects of overdose,” explains Dermot.
There will be training in Overdose Awareness and the administration of the lifesaving medication during the event at Credo.
If you are interested in hearing more about the work of Aberdeen in Recovery, or finding out how they could help you, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Sign up to the Conversation Café event.
Find out more about the support, training and other events on offer from Aberdeen in Recovery. Email info@aberdeeninrecovery.org or call 01224 638342
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.