Addaction is the largest specialist charity of its kind in the UK that works closely with young people, adults and families in overcoming the problems associated with drug and alcohol misuse. Their eight hundred-strong team’s services are both free and confidential and they pride themselves in providing close, empathetic support for people of all ages. They have been in operation for over forty years and, having become a successful enterprise, are now running on a budget of around £27 million.
As mentioned, the organisation’s aims are split into three different focuses. Firstly, their services are geared towards supporting young adults and their Young Addaction team focuses on helping those under the age of eighteen. They don’t limit the help that they provide to issues solely related to substance misuse. Instead, the Young Addaction team aims to take any and all issues on board, and assist in any way that they can. Testimonies from individuals are kept completely confidential and any information regarding the person will not be used or released until he or she has given full consent.
Secondly, their work with adults varies from any age above eighteen. Addaction’s substantial experience in the field of substance misuse treatment informs their approaches and attitudes. The organisation is fully aware that people from all walks of life can easily encounter a substance addiction or problems related with this. They also recognise that these problems can be complex and numerous, and in response aim to offer a fully comprehensive range of services. These range from residential, community or prison based services to education and employment programmes as well as specialist support groups.
Finally, they acknowledge the research that suggests that more people suffer the downfalls of family member substance addictions than we realise. One is five families contains substance misusing members. Addaction Family aims to support both those affected by this misuse and the misuser. Helping affected family members increases the chance of success in overcoming the loved one’s substance misuse problems. This can be achieved through one-to-one or full family consultation, advice, guidance, and support, sometimes over a lengthy period of time.