The important role that families play when it comes to coping with addiction is being highlighted as part of a new Christmas campaign.

'Family Matters' has been launched by the Rutland Centre, the country's largest private addiction rehabilitation centre. It aims to provide advice to those battling addiction, as well as their families, during what can be a particularly testing time - the Christmas holidays.

The campaign centres around the words ‘family matters' and it offers the following advice:

For those in active addiction and recovery over Christmas:
-Find - find your nearest support meeting and know when meetings are on
-Amuse - amuse yourself, beware of boredom
-Make - make sure your phone has credit, you have the numbers of people you can rely on and you make the call if needed
-Indicate - indicate clearly what you intend to do at the start of an event, eg. ‘I am not drinking alcohol at this event'. Be clear and unapologetic
-Lie - do not lie to yourself or test yourself. Remember there is no such things as just one bet or just one drink
-Yuletide cheer - if alcohol is an issue, try to avoid non-alcoholic beer and wine. The drinking ritual, paired with the smell and taste of alcohol, can trigger the desire to drink.

Advice for family members:
-Mindful - looking out for someone else on a continual basis can be tiring. Be mindful of yourself and other family members at Christmas time
-Always - temptation is always around at this time of the year. Try to make your house and environment temptation-free
-Think - think about the addicted family member before organising a family event
-Talk - have someone you can talk to if things get tough
-Engage - engage with support groups
-Remember - you are not on your own. There are organisations available to support you
-Support - Try to stay strong and contact your local support group if needed.