DrugFAM

DrugFAM was founded by Elizabeth Burton-Phillips in 2006 after the death of one of her twin sons, Nick, from heroin addiction two years earlier. Moved by her own harrowing loss, Burton-Phillips published a book detailing her experience and established the Nicholas Mills Foundation — which operates under the name DrugFAM — to provide other families, friends, and partners with the support and resources to which she herself did not have access. DrugFAM has been recognized internationally for its efforts to support individuals through the painful and often isolating experience of losing or watching a loved one suffer from addiction.

The organization's core programs fit into three categories: addressing active addiction, bereavement support, and providing education and awareness. The active addiction program assists friends, families, and partners in coping with their loved one's current substance abuse; the bereavement program's specialists help individuals navigate the complex emotions surrounding loss due to addiction; and the education and awareness program partners with schools, prisons, and local communities to process the effects of substance abuse. Over the years, DrugFAM has become one of the most respected charities in the United Kingdom for its multifaceted support of families affected by addiction.