Episode 23 - Hope After Bereavement

Episode 23 - Hope After Bereavement

How do people find hope in the darkest times? This conversation from "Life with Alcohol and Drugs" focuses on grief after substance-related loss and how tiny sparks of hope can slowly return. Host Robbie speaks with Rachel Weir, Senior National Family Support Practitioner at Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs. Rachel supports people aged 16 and over who have experienced a substance-related bereavement, through counselling, groups, support calls and peer support.

Together, they talk frankly about what grief can look like when alcohol or drugs are involved, and why hope doesn’t mean everything suddenly feeling okay again. Rachel explains that many families have already spent years holding on to hope before their loved one died – hope that treatment might work, that recovery might happen. She shares how people then grieve both the person and "the loss of hope and the dreams of the future," and how crushing that can feel.

Rather than talking about "moving on", she stresses the idea of "moving forward" while still carrying the person’s memory and the reality of the loss. A big part of the chat centres on guilt: guilt for laughing, going on holiday or enjoying a birthday after someone dies. Rachel reassures families that "we can hold grief and joy at the same time" and that missing someone deeply doesn’t cancel out moments of happiness.

She offers practical, everyday suggestions too – a walk, a favourite song, a chat with someone who understands – and reminds people to notice how harshly they speak to themselves compared to what they’d say to a close friend.

For anyone affected by a loved one’s alcohol or drug use who is struggling to see any light at all, this episode gently suggests that strength can be found in simply getting through the day and that connection and support don’t have to be faced alone. If you’re carrying grief, could this be a small step towards feeling a little less alone?