How We Help Young People

We've been working with young people since 1998 and, while the drugs may change, the reasons you give for taking them don't.  You're bored, or curious, or want to forget problems, or feel part of the gang, or mimic the adults around you, or take risks... 

And even if you don't drink or use drugs, you can be affected when those around you misuse drugs or alcohol - through neglect, or abuse or simply by having to look after yourself (and your brothers and sisters) when, really, you should just be getting on with being young.

Our young persons' team have developed a range of services to help you cope with drug and alcohol misuse.  Some of our services are for groups and some of them will be one to one.  We work from schools, youth centres, family centres and GP clinics and we try to find somewhere close to a bus route so it's fairly easy to get to us.

If your parents misuse drugs or alcohol, we'll try to explain why - it's not your fault, by the way - and work out ways of dealing with that.  We'll help you put together a support network and get the help you need.  And we'll introduce you to young people with similar problems, so you can see you're not alone.   

If you're using drugs or alcohol we can give you the facts: 

• what taking them will feel like
• what the risks are
• the legal bit (just because something is ‘legal' doesn't mean it's harmless)

and we'll help you give it up.

Download a Drug Use Screening Tool in EXCEL

You can also talk to us about one of the  bigger risks associated with drug or alcohol use, unsafe sex and everything that goes with that - sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy and prostitution. 

You can download our free information cards about Cannabis, Cocaine, Ketamine, Legal Highs and Mephedrone. This information cards are in PDF format and will provide you with the facts on use, effects, and potential risks of using these drugs.