diff --git a/src/metric.cpp b/src/metric.cpp
index 4359095..a2dab1b 100644
--- a/src/metric.cpp
+++ b/src/metric.cpp
@@ -350,13 +350,15 @@ struct Metric {
   }
 
   static auto &get_gauge_families() {
-    using FamilyMap = std::map<
-        std::string_view, Family<Gauge>::State *, std::less<std::string_view>,
-        ArenaStlAllocator<
-            std::pair<const std::string_view, Family<Gauge>::State *>>>;
+    using FamilyMap =
+        std::map<std::string_view, ArenaAllocator::Ptr<Family<Gauge>::State>,
+                 std::less<std::string_view>,
+                 ArenaStlAllocator<
+                     std::pair<const std::string_view,
+                               ArenaAllocator::Ptr<Family<Gauge>::State>>>>;
     static FamilyMap *gaugeFamilies = new FamilyMap(
-        ArenaStlAllocator<
-            std::pair<const std::string_view, Family<Gauge>::State *>>(
+        ArenaStlAllocator<std::pair<const std::string_view,
+                                    ArenaAllocator::Ptr<Family<Gauge>::State>>>(
             &get_global_arena()));
     return *gaugeFamilies;
   }
@@ -901,9 +903,7 @@ Family<Gauge> create_gauge(std::string_view name, std::string_view help) {
   if (!familyPtr) {
     // NOTE: Family<T>::State instances are never destroyed - this is fine
     // because the number of metric families is bounded by application design
-    familyPtr = new (global_arena.allocate_raw(sizeof(Family<Gauge>::State),
-                                               alignof(Family<Gauge>::State)))
-        Family<Gauge>::State(global_arena);
+    familyPtr = global_arena.construct<Family<Gauge>::State>(global_arena);
     familyPtr->name = name_view;
     familyPtr->help = arena_copy_string(help, global_arena);
   } else {
@@ -912,7 +912,7 @@ Family<Gauge> create_gauge(std::string_view name, std::string_view help) {
         "metric family already registered with different help text", name);
   }
   Family<Gauge> family;
-  family.p = familyPtr;
+  family.p = familyPtr.get();
   return family;
 }