Who we are
Everyone should feel comfortable getting the support they need for issues with drugs, alcohol or mental health.
Our story started in 1967 with a simple plea from our founder, Mollie Craven – to help each other. Mollie’s son was addicted to heroin by the age of 18. Feeling powerless to help, she wrote an article for The Guardian. In Molly’s search for support, she started APA – Association for Parents of Addicts, also known as Association for the Prevention of Addiction – which is now known as WithYou. We work with people on their own goals, whether that’s staying safe and healthy, making small changes or stopping an unwanted habit. We give people support in a way that’s right for them either face to face in their local service, community or online.
“ We’re a caring, passionate and inclusive organisation where people can thrive, progress and connect with others “
Investors in People report 2023
In 2023:
The number of people we tested for hepatitis C in our mission to micro-eliminate the virus in our services
The number of young people aged 11-24 we supported with drug, alcohol and mental health issues
The number of people who began treatment with us in our mental health programme
The number of adults in England and Scotland to overcome issues with drugs and alcohol
154 volunteers gave more than 12,789 hours to support our work and role model recovery
The number of people who chatted with a trained advisor on our webchat service
The number visits to our website
The amount we received in grants and donations from supporters, donors and trusts and foundations
Every year, millions of us are affected by problems with mental health, drugs, alcohol, and self harm. Most of us know someone affected. One in six have personal experience. These are everyday issues. Yet not enough people are getting help or getting better.
We provide a free and confidential service without judgement to more than 100,000 people a year. We use our expertise to improve the help available and raise awareness around drugs, alcohol and mental health so that more people can get support.
There are thousands of amazing people working in frontline services going above and beyond to fill gaps and meet people’s needs, but something needs to change. To do this, our current strategic aims are:
- Radically improve people’s chance of getting better
- Help many more people
- Transform our organisation to get the most from people