Alcohol Help

A-DASH, Radlett
Adolescent Drug & Alcohol Service for Hertfordshire (A-DASH)

About us:

A-DASH provides a specialist drug and alcohol treatment for young people who are under 18 and a targeted service with those with less complex needs. They work in close co-operation and partnership with the other key providers of services to young people e.g. Children, Schools and Families (CSF) services (Youth Connexions, Youth Offending Teams), Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

The Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Service (A-DASH) team provides confidential advice, support and specialist assessment and treatment to young people who have drug and alcohol problems under the age of 18, who have a Hertfordshire GP or live in or attend school in Hertfordshire.

A-DASH offers multidisciplinary alcohol assessment and treatment provision, which includes: # Psychosocial interventions, # Pharmacological prescribing Interventions, # Specialist harm reduction # Family interventions. Care Plans may include various forms of residential intervention such as hospital admission, drug rehabilitation or specialist foster placements.

Young People can phone or text directly. Other alcohol services such as: One Stop Shops, GPs, primary Care, Youth Connexions, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Youth Offending Teams and staff working with children such as Children’s Schools and Families.

The team works in close co-operation and partnership with other key providers of services to young people e.g. CAMHS, YOT’s, Children, Schools and Families (CSF) and Youth Connexions, in reducing drug and alcohol related harm in young people.

To receive support from A-DASH the young person needs to be:

# under the age of 18 years at point of referral with a drug or alcohol problem
# living in Hertfordshire or have a Hertfordshire General Practitioner or attending school in Hertfordshire

Any person working with, or a carer of, a young person, can call the alcohol service for advice and help. They can have an anonymous discussion about how a young person’s drug use can be addressed.

The alcohol service also supports other professionals and organisations in tackling or preventing drug related problems in young people and can provide support training bespoke to the needs of that team.

The alcohol service welcomes telephone enquires to offer advice and information as well as to inform callers what services there are locally to help young people in Hertfordshire or their parents/carers.

Contact Details:

A-DASH
15 Forest Lane
Shenley
Radlett
Hertfordshire
WD7 9HQ

Telephone: 01923 427 288

People across Hertfordshire are being urged to “rethink their drink” during Alcohol Awareness Month this June.

With the Chief Medical Officer recommending that people should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day, and women no more than 2-3 units regularly a day, drinkers are encouraged to keep an alcohol drink diary for a week to see how it all tots up.

And it’s not just the risk that too much alcohol can lead to being involved in crime, anti-social behaviour or unwanted sexual activity either. Breast and liver cancer, high blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease and certain types of stroke and liver diseases are all associated with excessive alcohol consumption.

Too much alcohol can affect a healthy lifestyle, with an average wine drinker consuming 2000 extra calories a month – so a visit to the gym probably won’t be that productive. On average, if you run for half-an-hour, it will only take two pints of lager to put those calories back on.

As well as keeping you fit, staying drink free can help you look and feel physically better. A pint of cider has about the same amount of calories as a glazed doughnut and a glass of wine has about the same number of calories as a packet of crisps.

Top tips for health and fitness

1. Get out of the habit of drinking because you are stressed or have nothing else to do. Look for other ways to relax; activities like swimming or going for a walk will make you feel better. These are easier to do in the summer months and don’t involve alcohol.

2. Don’t drink on an empty stomach as this may lead you to snack on high calorie foods such as chips and kebabs, increasing the calories you are consuming in a night out even more.

3. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a cool drink – why not add a splash of diet soda water to help white and rose wines last longer?

4. Alternate alcoholic and soft drinks to prevent you becoming dehydrated and drinking even more alcohol.

5. If you reduce your alcohol intake, you can also reduce your stress levels, lose weight and look your best.

6. It’s sometimes difficult to do this on your own, so ask a friend to become a “booze buddy” and tackle it together.

Young people (13 – 19 years old)
Sara is 15. She isn’t particularly special, and neither are her friends – because, like 70% of young people between 11 and 15, she hasn’t drunk any alcohol in the last week.

Sara’s friend Jake is 17 and hasn’t drunk alcohol in the last week either – just like three-quarters of other people of his age. Neither of them would ever get in a car with a person who has drunk either, and nor would eight out of ten of her friends.

Sara knows that it’s against the law for her to try to buy alcohol. Her friend, Jules, tried it last year and got an £80 fine from the police.

Sara told us, “Jules and my mate took her older sister’s passport to try and get some cider. The door supervisor at the pub wanted to check that they were older than 21, and ended up confiscating the passport. Now Jules has got a criminal record for fraud, can’t go to college and has to tell anyone she applies to for a job about it for the next five years.”

Peer pressure often means young people feel they have to drink – which puts them at risk of becoming victims of crime, committing crime, or of unwanted sexual activity. If young people use forged or other people’s ID to try and buy alcohol, they are committing a serious criminal offence.

Jake tells us the top reasons why he and his friends don’t get drunk are:

• Hangovers and headaches
• Driving
• Staying in control
• College or school the next day
• Costs too much
• Don’t like the effects
• Mates don’t drink

Luckily for Jake and Sara, they know that there are people around who can help if they think their drinking is getting out of control. They know that they can contact A-DASH (the Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Service in Hertfordshire) free and in confidence at any time on 01923 427288 or email A-dash@hertspartsft.nhs.uk or text 07770 537227.

Watford Borough Council