Volunteering Opportunities with Surrey Drug and Alcohol Care

About

About Surrey Drug and Alcohol Care Ltd Surrey Drug and Alcohol Care Ltd (SDAC) operates a helpline open to callers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We offer help and support for anyone who is concerned about the problems that Mental Wellbeing and/or Drugs and Alcohol cause. They could be mental health clients, users of substances, parents, siblings or friends. Usually many people are affected by the problems and we want to help anyone touched by concerns. In addition, for residents within the Surrey County Council area, we can offer referrals into professional treatment service for substance misuse. These treatment services are only available for Surrey residents, although our telephone advice and support is available to anyone in the country and we can direct them to their local services if needed. SDAC also manages a Telephone Counselling Service (TCS). A team of professional British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy accredited counsellors staff this service. Starting with the initial call to the Helpline, we aim to offer unbiased support and encouragement to users, friends and family. The Helpline is manned 24 hours a day. SDAC also runs an outreach program for Surrey schools and colleges for substance misuse. The aim is to identify and raise awareness of the risks associated with drugs and alcohol and also to provide information and contact details of services. Young people are very often deeply affected by the drug and alcohol habits within their own circle of family and friends. We also help adult community associations in Surrey with similar education and information. As a registered charity, Surrey Drug & Alcohol Care services are free of charge, and the number is widely advertised in the Surrey Area. Founded in 1986, it introduced a permanent helpline service in 1987 and has been in continuous operation ever since. Between 35-40 volunteers active with SDAC at any time. In 2016/7, SDAC took over 1,400 calls to its Helpline. The majority of calls come from the Surrey area, but in practice, SDAC is open to anyone, anywhere in the country. Calls from those affected by alcohol dependency in Surrey form the largest number of calls to the line.