It’s all in a Name for Derbyshire Addictions Advice Service
Derbyshire Alcohol Advice service has been a primary source of alcohol support in Derbyshire for almost 30 years. It began life as North Derbyshire Alcohol Advice Service, operating from a single room in Chesterfield with 3 part time counsellors. It is now a county wide organisation with 26 staff providing alcohol, drug and gambling support as well as running projects for our military veterans community.
The organisation has developed so dramatically over the last few years that the name is no longer fully representative of the the work that they do. Therefore on 12th October 2023 they officially changed the name to Derbyshire Addictions Advice Service (DAAS). Chair of Trustees John Ydlibi said “When people hear our previous name, they assume alcohol support is all we offer, however our scope is now so much more than that”
DAAS, for the last 8 years been a key provider within Derbyshire Recovery Partnership, the commissioned drug and alcohol support service for adults in the county. This service provides support for anyone affected by their own or someone else’s drug and/or alcohol use. We have been proud of our role in helping people get the support they require when they are struggling with their drug and alcohol use, supporting people to achieve a healthier, happier and more productive future.
More recently DAAS have begun offering support for those affected by other people’s gambling behaviour. For every person whose gambling is a problem, there can be between 6 and 10 other people who are negatively affected… friends, children, family, colleagues. GamCHAT will provide counselling and education to help friends and family to understand better what is happening, how they can best support the person experiencing problematic gambling and while protecting their own health and wellbeing.
Although you may still hear and see reference to Derbyshire Alcohol Advice service we are now Derbyshire Addictions Advice Service. It will take some time to change all our leaflets as well as our entries on databases etc, however one thing will not change and that is the high quality services that are focused on making life better for the residents of Derbyshire.