Adelaide dwellers with a family member struggling with drug or alcohol addiction are less likely to seek support from friends than their regional counterparts, a new report has found.

The report, commissioned by charity organisation Family Drug Support (FDS), found 62 per cent of people living outside of the capital would call on friends for support compared with just 45 per cent in Adelaide.

FDS founder Tony Trimingham said many people felt shame for having a drug or alcohol dependent family member.

"People just associate drug users with losers and people that aren't worth thinking about," he said.

"Then families just retreat. They stop talking to people and they don't seek support for themselves and that's where we end up with this kind of situation where people are feeling really isolated."

The report also found men were more likely to keep problems secret, and people over the age of 55 felt the biggest sense of shame.

Mr Trimingham, who lost his own sun to a heroin addiction, said a family could "burn out".

"If they're not getting the support for themselves they can only carry the burden for so long," he said.

"There's a disconnection between them and the drug user and quite often that can lead to even more tragedy like overdoses."

The research was commissioned in the lead-up to International Drug Users Remembrance Day.

A ceremony remembering those who have died or been affected by drug and alcohol addiction will today be held in Adelaide.

"The ceremony gives families a chance to gather with people who are in the same situation," Mr Trimingham said.

"They can light a candle and acknowledge the lives they have lost, not as the users of drugs, but of people with normal talents and qualities."