Understanding Drug & Alcohol Addiction

Family Therapy At Castle Craig

Dear Family Member,

The Castle Craig family educational and counselling programme is designed to help families, friends, colleagues or employers understand the nature of drug and alcohol addiction, its effect on close relatives and colleagues and to help support the recovery process.

Sunday Family Programme
Sunday afternoons at Castle Craig are also an opportunity, not only for you to visit, but to participate in the therapeutic activities, which include: a lecture, counselling, meetings of Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon.

Family Counselling
The focal therapist will arrange for at least two counselling sessions with the patient and family or those significantly involved. Family counselling includes:

1. Education
Addiction causes such disturbance in the family that it has often been described as a "family illness". Occasionally alcohol and drug dependent patients come from a family system where alcohol and drugs have been misused. Education will aim to address these dilemmas.
During counselling we explore the myth of willpower and look at some of the ineffective ways in which family and colleagues generally try to deal with dependency and help them to understand that they "did not cause, cannot cure or cannot control" this illness.

2. Introduction to the Value of Twelve Step Support Groups
The Twelve Step Programme of Alcoholics Anonymous is, in many ways, "the spine" of the treatment programme at Castle Craig. Participants in the family programme are helped to understand the value of Twelve Step meetings and learn about the work of Al-Anon and Families Anonymous. While these agencies are not connected formally with Castle Craig we greatly welcome their meetings on the premises.

3. Assisting Participants to Understand the Family Interactions and Dynamics of Addiction
During counselling we explore the disease of addiction and its often destructive impact on family life enabling people to discover new choices and move from a state of confusion and despair to one of hope and optimism.

We warmly encourage you to fully participate in the family counselling programme and we are always available to answer any questions that may arise.

Best wishes,

Lee Taylor
Specialist Therapist