News
New Database to Provide Help for Dependency
Share this page
Help for Dependency is building a signposting database for people looking for support with substance use and addiction.
Vaping, drug use, online gambling and gaming addiction are growing problems in the UK, especially for children, young people and those with mental health needs. Yet many are struggling to find the support they need.
Help for Dependency are working with partners to tackle the issue by building an online signposting database.
People looking for help with substance use and other addictive disorders will be able to use the tool to find vital support and services. The database will cover the whole of England but will direct people to support locally via an online search.
Members of the Public Engagement Network who support people at risk of substance use and dependency are welcome to contact the organisation if they are interested in joining the database, or with recommendations of other groups and services who can provide support.
A vital new resource
Though there are services around the country to support people who have a dependency, many people don’t know how to find it, or even where to start looking. The database will therefore provide a vital new resource in ensuring people receive the support they need.
Young people at risk
The project comes at a time when mental health in young people is in crisis, since there is very rarely a dependency that doesn’t have a mental health or behavioural issue attached to it. Addiction is multifaceted, often resulting from interwoven issues that can spill over into family life as well.
Many youth clubs and groups have disappeared, and children are often not getting sufficient levels of exercise; they are now more likely to be indoors using iPads than going outdoors to play, rendering them vulnerable to online gambling and gaming addictions.
They see people their age with expensive jackets, trainers and phones and can get into drug dealing at very young ages. Child criminal exploitation means there are children as young as eight dealing drugs, and 13-year-olds taking on higher ranks within the drug gangs. This can involve them going out and doing the beatings if people don’t pay up for the drugs. It’s a major problem for society at large, and many of the stabbings amongst young people are drug-related.
Vaping is also a rising problem as some shopkeepers sell them to young people who are attracted by the flavours in them. This causes the young people to become addicted at the time they are most vulnerable to dependency and as they are still developing.
Trends and changes
There are regional variations and pockets of specific drug use. There are often issues around festivals, such as the use of MDMA. Ketamine is commonly found in rural areas and amongst young farmers, due to ease of access to the drug. Other trends are nationwide, such as the growth of NOS cylinders and marijuana in young people across the country.
But these trends also change over time, and so can be very hard to keep on top of and requires constant research.
Help for Dependency are currently expanding their website to reflect this, and to explore recently developed problems such as energy drink and mobile phone addiction. You can keep up-to-date with it here.
Get involved
If you would like to connect with Help for Dependency, or if you have recommendations of other organisations relevant to the database, please contact them here.
Help for Dependency may then speak with and visit organisations who are able to provide support for people who have a dependency. They are particularly interested in those who support children and young people, including youth clubs and groups, mental health services and schools.
