Support for young people with substance use

Supporting 13-25 year olds to recognise the risks of drugs, alcohol, smoking and vaping to reduce its harms.

I cannot express how much of a lifeline you were after my arrest, and I thank you for every step we’ve taken with making things better.
Service user, 16

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Our Substance Use projects

Education and Training

Helping you make informed choices! We visit schools across the Bailiwick from Year 5 to Year 11 to deliver PSHE lessons that are honest, age appropriate and designed to help students make informed choices. You’ll see us more than 20 times during your school years and through community groups like youth clubs.

We also deliver training to professionals to help them spot the signs of substance use and respond appropriately.

Prevention Groups

Building confidence and making positive choices! In schools across the Bailiwick, we work with Key Stage 3 students to spot early signs that someone might be more likely to take risks in the future, not just with substances, but with other behaviours too.

We use a trusted survey to help identify those who might benefit from extra support. If you're selected, you’ll be invited to join a Prevention Group that runs for 6–8 weeks. Sessions focus on wellbeing, resilience, managing peer pressure, and making positive choices. This should help you feel more confident, in control, and equipped to handle life's challenges in healthy ways.

One to One support

Is your substance use affecting your life? If you’re aged 13–25 and your use of drugs or alcohol is beginning to impact your wellbeing, relationships, or daily routine, we’re here to support you. You don’t need to be in crisis; we can help you explore what’s going on and find a way forward.

You’ll be matched with a key worker for regular one-to-one sessions focused on your emotional, personal, and practical wellbeing. We can also work alongside other services, and support is available for as long as it’s helpful to you.

Brief Interventions

Tried something once and want to understand the risks? If you’re 13–25 and have had one-off or low-risk experience with substances, our Brief Interventions offer non-judgmental one-to-one support, typically around 3 sessions, in school or community settings.

We’ll cover:

Facts about the substance you may have taken
How it affects your body and mind
Harm reduction and safety tips.

We currently support young people on the topics of alcohol, cannabis, magic mushrooms, MDMA, & solvents.

Helpful links

Access up-to-date information and advice on substance use. Check out the links below. Note: legal classifications or references may relate to the UK and not necessarily reflect Bailiwick of Guernsey law.