WithYou delivers the UK’s only dedicated drug and alcohol support programme designed specifically for the armed forces community – including veterans, serving personnel, reservists and their families.
In 2024 the programme received a prestigious gold award in the Ministry of Defence’s employer recognition scheme, and last year it supported 1,154 people across England and Scotland.
At the heart of this work is WithYou’s national armed forces community programme lead, Andy Craze, who oversees the development of specialist pathways, partnerships and trauma‑informed support across England and Scotland.
Here, Andy reflects on the unique needs of the armed forces community, the gaps in sector service provision, and how WithYou is building a national model of care that recognises the realities of military life and transition.
Can you tell us about your role as WithYou’s national armed forces community programme lead?
Absolutely. My role is to lead, design, shape, strengthen, and grow WithYou’s specialist drug and alcohol support for the armed forces community.
That includes developing consistent pathways in our services, building partnerships with military charities and statutory organisations, and ensuring our teams understand the cultural, psychological, and practical realities that veterans and serving personnel face.
I want to ensure national partners are aligned with local support, and that no one falls through the cracks when it comes to drug and alcohol support.
Why is specialist drug and alcohol support so important for the armed forces community?
This is a community that experiences a unique combination of pressures – operational stress, trauma exposure, sudden transition to civilian life, loss of identity, chronic pain, and sometimes fractured relationships.
Alcohol has historically been embedded in military culture, and for some people it becomes a coping mechanism long after service ends. When you combine that with stigma around seeking support, you get a group of people who often present late, in crisis, or not at all.Â
Specialist support helps break down those barriers. It says ‘we understand your world, and you don’t have to explain yourself from scratch’.
What are the biggest challenges the armed forces community faces when accessing support?
The biggest barrier is often stigma and pride – the belief that asking for help is weakness.Â
Many veterans have spent years in environments where vulnerability wasn’t encouraged. For many women, we understand that they face additional barriers accessing services and have often experienced significant sexual or emotional trauma from military service.
That’s why we launched the Rebuild Project, which provides specialist trauma-focused psychological therapy for women veterans (DDN, March, page 6).Â
Another challenge is navigating the system. There are many brilliant organisations out there, but the landscape can feel overwhelming. People don’t always know where to start, or they get bounced between services. Finally, transition remains a critical pressure point. Leaving the forces can mean losing structure, identity, and community overnight. That’s when some people begin to struggle.
What makes WithYou’s armed forces programme unique in the drug and alcohol sector?
Three things stand out. First, we recognise that military culture is different, and so is the way people seek help.
Veterans often avoid or delay asking for support, minimise their struggles, or feel they should ‘just get on with it’. Our programme is designed to meet people where they are, without judgement.
Second, we embed armed forces leads within all local services. These are people who understand military life, speak the language, and can build trust quickly. Third, we work in partnership rather than in isolation. We collaborate with partners and our sponsors including the Army Benevolent Fund and The Armed Forces Covenant Trust, as well as local authorities, housing providers, and other community organisations.
That network means we can respond to complex needs fast, whether that’s drug and alcohol support or referring to other partners for homelessness, mental health or social isolation.
What does effective support look like?
It’s about access, trust and coordination.Â
Many veterans have had difficult experiences with services that didn’t ‘get’ them or who were passed through various services having to retell their story. Drug and alcohol challenges rarely exist alone, and can often be compounded by housing, benefits, mental health, physical health and social connection issues.
Our best work happens when we bring partners together around the individual. I’ve seen cases where, within hours, someone has been linked to a GP, secured temporary accommodation, connected with the Royal British Legion, and booked in for clinical support.Â
What message would you share with veterans or serving personnel who might be hesitant to reach out?
The first step is sometimes the hardest. You’ve already done the hard things in life. Asking for support isn’t weakness — it’s strength. You don’t have to face drug and alcohol or mental health challenges alone. We’re here, we understand the culture you come from, and we’ll walk alongside you every step of the way.
Georgina Sayers is head of external communications and engagement (North) at WithYou
The first step is the hardest
Nicola Wilding, team leader and armed forces lead in WithYou’s Stoke-on-Trent service, talked about her own experiences with veterans.
What first drew you to working with veterans and the wider armed forces community? I’ve worked in this field for more than 13 years, having started as an alcohol recovery worker.Â
In 2015 I met my first veteran client – listening to his story both shocked and motivated me to do the best I could to support him. I secured a four-day residential course for him and two years of aftercare support, which he loved.
Three years later another veteran who was looking for help staying sober came to us and I thought I knew the kind of support he needed, but actually I ended up connecting with him through his love of music and playing guitar. He’s now a volunteer for another drug and alcohol service up in Scotland.Â
These two experiences really taught me that every veteran comes with their own unique story and their own way of dealing with their trauma.
In 2020 I met my now-husband, an army veteran, and again I was shocked and saddened hearing his story and the lack of support he received. That was when I decided to start making links with local veteran services, so I joined our local tri-services veteran support centre to offer support to anyone struggling with substances.
How do drug and alcohol issues intersect with the wider pressures veterans experience when transitioning to civilian life? Alcohol use can be a way of life for some serving personnel and veterans, and it’s vital that we take down any barriers to support and ensure people have the information they need. Education, connection and having something in common can go a long way to help someone feel at ease enough to share their vulnerabilities and fears.
What do you think the public often misunderstands about veterans’ needs? People have a lot of stereotypes about veterans. They’re seen as either ‘broken’ and ‘dangerous’ and suffering with PTSD, or ‘tough guys’ completely detached from their emotions. Women veterans are often expected to be working in support or care roles. But veterans are all unique – as every human is – and shouldn’t be stereotyped.
How do you think services should treat people in the armed forces community? I recently visited WithYou in North Somerset’s armed forces community team. In that service every recovery worker has veterans on their caseload and is aware of the challenges veterans face, and they work together seamlessly to deliver the best outcome. I saw a vulnerable veteran receive coordinated support within three hours, which happened because they’ve built strong partnerships with other support services in their area.Â
What kind of legacy do you hope to create for the armed forces community in Stoke? A safe space where veterans can feel supported, where there’s no shame or judgement.
If you could send one message to veterans who may be struggling silently, what would you want them to hear? The first step is the hardest and then it gets easier. Let’s share a cuppa – we can chat about the weather or put the world to rights, and everything in between. If you can’t come to us, we’ll come to you and be there to support you. If there’s something we can’t support, we’ll find a service who can, and we can see them together too.