Background

The founding members of the Addiction and the Family International Network (AFINet) have a substantial background in this area and have always tried to promote their work internationally. The group now want to build on the latter and are setting up a new international network with support from a grant by the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA). The website will sit firmly at the core of the organisation, where it will serve as a virtual hub for promoting the group’s key aims and facilitate international communication

The group itself was established in the UK in the early 1980’s and its core at present is as a two-centre collaboration between the Cities of Bath/Bristol and Birmingham, incorporating some of the NHS and academic institutions in these cities. Key members of the group at the present time are Alex Copello, Akan Ibanga, Jim Orford, Lorna Templeton, Richard Velleman and Laura Nice, although many others have participated in and made significant contributions to the group’s research over the years. 

The Addiction and the Family International Network consists of a number of academics and practitioners who collaborate on undertaking research and in attempting to raise the profile of this neglected area of research and practice.

Research by the group has been primarily interested in two things:

• Obtaining detailed information about family members’ experiences; 
• Applying this knowledge, both to help practitioners and other health and social care workers respond to the needs of family members, and to develop a clearer perspective on theory, practice, research and policy in this area.