Family support
Support for families affected by addiction
You do not have to carry this alone.
For partners, parents, adult children and siblings
When someone you love is struggling
When someone you love is struggling with alcohol, drugs or prescription medication, the whole family feels it. You may be lying awake, rehearsing conversations, checking your phone, wondering what you did or did not say. You may be tired in a way that sleep does not fix.
The Zenit Room offers confidential family support for addiction, for partners, parents, adult children and siblings, online or in person. You do not need a plan before you contact us. You do not need to know the right words. A first conversation is free, and we reply within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
The questions people ask us first
How can I help a family member with an addiction?
Start with yourself. Sleep, food and one steady person to talk to matter more than they seem to. Then keep your communication calm and consistent: say what you have noticed, say it once, and say it without blame. Family training based on CRAFT teaches practical ways to encourage change without confrontation. In a first conversation we help you choose where to begin.
What if they do not want help?
This is the situation most families are in when they find us. Readiness tends to grow through trust and steady, respectful communication, and it rarely grows through pressure. You can still do a great deal while they are not ready: change how you talk, set boundaries you can keep, and stay close without taking over. Our family programme, The Steadfast Programme, is built for exactly this moment and takes place over 3 to 10 days, paced to your family.
Can I get support even if my relative is not in treatment?
Yes. Family support is available whether or not your loved one is seeking help, and whether or not they are in treatment.
What does the first step cost and involve?
The first step is a free, confidential consultation. You tell us what is happening at home, and we listen. We reply within 24 hours.
Where do I start?
Start small
Many families find these four steps a steady place to begin.
Look after the basics.
Sleep, meals, a walk, one person you trust. You are no use to anyone running on empty, and you matter in your own right.
Write down what you have seen.
Not to confront anyone with it, but to see your own situation clearly and to remember what to say when we speak.
Decide what you can and cannot do.
You can offer support. You cannot make another adult change. Knowing where your part ends is a relief, not a failure.
Talk to someone who knows the territory.
One conversation with us is enough to turn a tangle of worries into a short list of next steps.
If anyone is in immediate danger, call the emergency services first (999 in the UK, 112 elsewhere in Europe).
Why families need support of their own
You matter in your own right
Addiction affects sleep, finances, trust and daily routines at home. Relatives often carry the worry alone and are unsure what to say, so they say too much, or nothing. Support for the family is not only a way to help the person with the addiction. It is a way to look after the people around them, who matter in their own right.
“I am exhausted myself”
If this is you, it is not weakness. Living close to addiction is draining: the broken plans, the promises, the watching and waiting. Many relatives tell us they have stopped recognising themselves.
You are allowed to want a calmer home, a full night’s sleep and a life that is not organised around someone else’s crisis. Wanting that does not mean you love them less. In our work with you we look at your own wellbeing first, because everything else rests on it.
Talking at home
“What can I actually say?”
The conversations that go wrong are usually the ones held at the worst moment: late at night, after an argument, when someone has been drinking. Some things families tell us help:
- Choose a calm moment, when you both have time.
- Speak about what you have seen and how it affects you (“I have been worried since last week”), not about what they are.
- Say what you are able to offer, and keep to it.
- Expect that the first conversation may not go well. It is the start of a pattern, not a single event.
In family coaching we practise these conversations with you, so the words feel like yours.
How we support families
Training, coaching and a family programme
Family training based on CRAFT
CRAFT, Community Reinforcement and Family Training, is an evidence-based approach for relatives. You learn to communicate more clearly, to reinforce positive steps, to set healthy boundaries and to keep your own life steady. It aims to encourage a loved one towards change without confrontation, while improving your own wellbeing.
Family coaching and guidance
We help families move from chaos to clarity. Together we work on how you talk to each other, where your boundaries lie and how to support recovery without losing yourself in the process. Carolin, our Family Counsellor & Recovery Counsellor, leads this work.
The Steadfast Programme
The Steadfast Programme, our family programme, is for the moments when help is needed but the person is not yet ready to accept it. It is a separately arranged, time-limited service over 3 to 10 days, in six phases that follow the family’s pace and cultural context. It can be delivered by remote consultation, one-to-one engagement, family meetings and, when needed, on-site support. When treatment is the right next step, the programme helps prepare and coordinate admission with the treatment centre. When it is not, the focus stays on stability and clear communication.
What happens in a first conversation
A calm, private conversation
It is held by video, phone or in person. It is not an assessment of you or your family.
- You tell us what is happening. As much or as little as you like. You do not need to have it in order.
- We ask a few questions about who is involved, what has been tried and what you are most worried about.
- We tell you honestly what we can offer and what might fit: family coaching, CRAFT training, the family programme, or help with rehab placement.
- You decide. There is no obligation, and nothing is arranged without your agreement.
Everything you tell us stays confidential.
Support during and after treatment
Families are part of recovery
Families are part of recovery before, during and after a stay in treatment. We help with rehab placement, stay in contact with the family throughout, and plan aftercare so that routines at home support the return.
You can read more about our work for individuals and families.
Who we are and how we work
Experienced, ethical, multilingual
Support is given by experienced professionals who combine lived experience with leadership in admissions, education and client care. Where a situation needs a specialist beyond Carolin and Björn, one of our associates joins, working to the same code of ethics. If your needs extend further, we connect you with trusted psychiatrists, psychologists or medical experts. We work in English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German.
Let’s talk
Tell us what is happening at home
You do not need to have all the answers.
Book a free consultationCall +46 708 94 64 37
Contact us or read more on our blog.