Launched in July last year, Addaction’s webchat service offers individuals anonymous, on-demand support and advice.
In the last year trained advisors have had over 9000 conversations. People have got in touch through webchat for reasons ranging from wanting advice or support about their own drug or alcohol use, to wishing to discuss the substance use of a family member or loved one.When it first launched advisors were unsure of who would get in touch, and why. But the response to the service has been beyond expectations. It’s also brought us into contact with people who were unlikely to get the support they need. 80% of people looking for support via webchat had never accessed a building based service before.Addaction’s Digital Manager Stephanie Keenan said:
“When we started the webchat, we were naive to the number of people who would use this medium to seek support. Through the past year we have seen this channel shift first hand offer guidance and support. Thanks to the talented staff who work in the team, we are able to offer real time interventions 7(ish) days a week. Here is to Addaction’s trailblazing approach and the staff who make it possible.”
Stoke-on-Trent Community Drug & Alcohol Service is thrilled to be able to offer this service. We hope that it allows many more people in Stoke-on-Trent to reach out and receive support.
All you need to do is visit our website: www.scdas.org.uk and you can easily access the web chat during it’s opening times. Just click on the icon which is on the bottom right hand side of the screen.
You can also contact the service directly by emailing us or calling us – visit the contact us page for more information.
The opening times for the webchat service are:
Monday-Friday: 10am-4pm, 6pm-9pm
Saturday: 11am-4pm
Sunday: 11am-4pm
