What is Family and Friend Support Program?

Ice ("crystal methamphetamine") use not only affects people using the drug, but it also has an adverse impact on their family, friends, and their community.

Family and peer support networks are critical to a persons' recovery from methamphetamine use, but too often, relationships become strained and users become isolated from their families, friends and social networks due to the problems arising from their drug use.

Families and friends can play a critical role in the recovery of people using ice (and other drugs). However, there is little support for families in this situation.

Family and Friend Support Program is an online intervention and support package for families/friends supporting loved ones using ice. It includes information on how families and friends can best help their loved ones and protect them from adverse impacts of their drug-using lifestyle. Family and Friend Support Program recognises that supporting someone who is using can be extremely stressful, and aims to assist families and friends to best manage the demands of this role.

What Family and Friend Support Program offers

A free online program and access to trusted and reliable information to assist families, friends and health professionals supporting someone who is using ice.

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Online program to help you manage your situation

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Helpful activities

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Real stories: What it’s like supporting someone using ice

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Training resources for health professionals

Get access to Family and Friend Support Program

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Collaborators

Who is behind the Family and Friends Support Program (FFSP)

The online program was developed by researchers and clinicians at the University of Newcastle in conjunction with the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales. Expert guidance was also provided by researchers and clinicians from the University of Bath, UK and the Addiction and the Family international network (AFINET). Funding for this program was provided by the Department of Health, Australian Government.

FFSP was informed by input from community members across Australia and we would like to thank the individuals who generously gave us their time and shared their stories to inform the content of the program. We are also grateful to community members who provided feedback on the development and refinement of this online program.

We would also like to acknowledge the photographers who donated their images to Unsplash for use by the public. We used images from the following photographers in FFSP:

  • Chris Lawton
  • Harli Marten
  • Zoltan Tasi

Stock photos were also purchased from istock by Getty images.