Support for family and friends

Helping someone else starts with support for you

SMART Recovery Family & Friends is for anyone affected by someone else's addictive or problem behaviour. The programme offers practical tools, shared support, and a space to focus on your own wellbeing. SMART Recovery Ireland offers Family & Friends support online when meetings are available.

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What it is

A practical programme for people supporting a loved one

When someone close to you is struggling with alcohol, drugs, gambling, or another addictive behaviour, it can be stressful, isolating, and exhausting. Family & Friends shifts the focus from trying to fix another person to building your own coping skills, communication, boundaries, and support.

The programme adapts SMART Recovery tools for family members, partners, friends, colleagues, and carers. It can be used alongside counselling, treatment, other peer support, or practical supports already in place.

How Family & Friends can help

Meetings and resources focus on practical skills you can use in everyday situations.

Reduce stress

Understand emotional upsets, unhelpful thoughts, and ways to regain balance.

Communicate clearly

Practise respectful, assertive communication and listening skills.

Set boundaries

Explore boundaries that protect your wellbeing and support healthier relationships.

Focus on self-care

Make space for your own needs, safety, routines, and sources of support.

Avoid enabling

Notice when well-meant responses may be unhelpful and choose more effective options.

Connect with others

Meet people who understand the strain of supporting someone through addictive behaviour.

Ireland support

Find the current Family & Friends meeting

SMART Recovery Ireland lists Family & Friends support in the meetings directory when a current meeting is available. Use the meeting link below for the latest day, time, and access details.

For Family & Friends enquiries, the listed contact email is familyandfriends@smartrecovery.ie.

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Who it is for

Open to anyone affected by someone else's behaviour

You do not need a diagnosis, referral, or permission from the other person to attend. Family & Friends may be useful if you are a parent, partner, adult child, sibling, friend, colleague, or carer.

The focus is not on analysing or controlling your loved one. It is on how you cope, how you respond, and how you can live with more steadiness and choice.

Topics explored in Family & Friends

Family & Friends meetings can explore a practical sequence of topics. These can be used as a starting point for page copy, meeting descriptions, or future resource links.

Change and motivation

Understanding how change happens and what supports it.

Self-care and self-rewards

Restoring balance and looking after your own wellbeing.

Inner dialogue

Noticing self-talk and practising more helpful responses.

ABCs of REBT

Using SMART tools to examine events, beliefs, and consequences.

Positive communication

Listening, speaking clearly, and reducing confrontation.

Healthy boundaries

Choosing boundaries that protect safety, respect, and wellbeing.

Safety and support

Staying safe and knowing when to seek additional support.

Coping with lapses

Responding constructively when things do not go as hoped.

Disable the enabling

Replacing unhelpful patterns with more effective support.

Trust and forgiveness

Exploring broken trust, repair, and letting go of past hurts.

What a meeting may include

Every meeting is shaped by the group, but Family & Friends meetings usually follow a simple supportive structure.

  1. 1

    Welcome and check-in

    You can share what is going on for you, or simply listen until you feel ready.

  2. 2

    Choose a topic

    The group may focus on communication, boundaries, self-care, motivation, safety, or coping with difficult emotions.

  3. 3

    Apply SMART tools

    Participants explore practical tools and ideas, then consider how to use them in real situations.

  4. 4

    Plan next steps

    Meetings often close with one realistic action or reflection to take into the week ahead.

Important safety note

SMART Recovery Family & Friends is a mutual-aid programme, not therapy or emergency support. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact emergency services. If you are experiencing domestic abuse, coercive control, serious mental distress, or a crisis situation, please seek specialist professional support as well as peer support.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. The programme is for you, regardless of whether the other person is attending support, seeking treatment, or ready to change.

No. New participants are welcome to listen and observe until they feel comfortable contributing.

No. Family & Friends can be relevant where someone else's alcohol, drug, gambling, or other addictive or problem behaviour is affecting you.

Meetings are run by trained facilitators. Some facilitators may also have lived experience of being affected by a loved one's relationship with alcohol, drugs, gambling, or other problem behaviours.

No. The focus is on your wellbeing, choices, coping strategies, communication, and boundaries.

Ready to find support?

Search current SMART Recovery Ireland meetings for the latest Family & Friends details, or contact familyandfriends@smartrecovery.ie.

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