Our Clients
The Drug and Alcohol Foundation aims to ensure that no client receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of their race, colour, nationality, religion, social status, sexual orientation, age, gender origin, marital status, sex or disability.
DAF's clients come from a wide range of backgrounds with different histories that led to their misuse of drink and drugs. The testimonial below is from such a client and is evidence of the benefits that clients gain from DAF.
"Following the birth of my son, twelve years ago, my partner became unwell and this resulted in me having to bring up my son on my own. Constant problems with his school, social workers and health visitors resulted in my drug taking and drinking to get steadily worse.
I was no longer able to look after my son and therefore agreed for him to be put into foster-care. Following this my drug taking and drinking escalated dramatically. To help fund my addictions, I took to shoplifting with my partner. She left me and as a result I went on a drink and drugs binge. I wrecked my house and was then involved in a serious head-on collision, which almost killed both myself and the other driver.
After being taken into a medical hospital, I was transferred to an asylum, where I stayed for a month. At this time I was wrongly diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder. Finding myself homeless, I ended up living in the car park of a Service Station for six weeks.
My local Community Mental Health Team put me in touch with pre-treatment groups at my hospital. I was also diagnosed as suffering from a Borderline Personality Disorder, not a Bi-Polar disorder.
About a year ago I became involved with a group of drinkers that shared the building I was living in. In one session we were taking speed, cannabis, heroin, crack cocaine and drinking. I realised the mood of the group was turning nasty and so returned to my flat. Shortly later an intruder woke me up. I was then stabbed in the head and shoulder and had my face slashed with a knife. I was taken into hospital where I nearly died from a combination of the injuries and the loss of blood.
When I was discharged, I detoxed myself at home and was then referred to DAF by my Care Manager at the Community Mental Health Team.
This was my first experience of a dual-diagnosis service where both my addictions and my mental health are addressed. I have greatly benefited from the acupuncture, dramatherapy and the group therapy that I receive. Of particular help have been the one-to-one counselling sessions.
People have commented on my improved health. Relatives and friends have witnessed a positive change in my personality and attitude. I am not as aggressive and feel generally very content.
I had one minor relapse on alcohol but have remained abstinent from drugs. This is amazing. I have also not been in trouble with the police since coming here.
Although my time at DAF is coming to an end, I am really pleased that I can still attend Drop In sessions and attend the Service User groups. I'm even going to be taking the minutes at the next one."
WO 2006
In 2005, a Service Users Involvement Group was established for current and former clients of the DAF. At present, the steering group meets on a monthly basis and aims to develop service users' initiatives.
The purpose of the service user involvement meetings is for clients to have a voice within the organisation and to play a greater role in the development of the service. It is also an opportunity to meet with other clients, make friends and develop new skills. The meetings take place monthly and a light lunch is provided. Service users are given the choice to set the agenda and chair and minute the meetings.
Service users who have attended the meetings have found it a useful opportunity to actively participate in their care and treatment. It is also an opportunity to be able to comment on the services currently provided and voice any concerns or changes they would like to make. One significant change that has resulted from the meetings has been an extension of the drop-in hours. The drop-ins were originally for an hour on a Monday and Friday. In response to a demand for longer hours, the drop-ins now run for 2 hours on a Monday and 3 hours on a Friday, ensuring that clients have adequate support either side of the weekend.
The service users involvement meetings have been well used and it is a beneficial initiative for both service users and the organisation.