I’m an online advisor for people with drug and alcohol problems
At first people think I’m a robot, but it’s my job to offer people a helping hand and a real human connection.
A woman recently contacted our webchat service in a crisis. She was being evicted from a private residential rehabilitation centre because she couldn’t afford the coming week’s rent. At a critical point in her recovery she was facing the perils and stress of homelessness. She went to her local library and following a frantic scan of the internet started speaking to Alain, one of our webchat advisors. Alain reassured her and sensitively asked about her situation, finding out the charity Change Grow Live (CGL) was the provider of drug and alcohol services in the woman’s area. The woman didn’t have a phone so Alain called CGL and organised an appointment for her at their service that same day.
The woman was expecting to speak to a robot so was amazed at the service she received. Over 11,000 people have now accessed our webchat, yet many also need convincing they’re talking to a real person. There are 33 webchatters overall, all of whom have at least two years experience of supporting people struggling with substance misuse issues, while some, like me, have far more. We have people who specialise in different areas, from child sexual exploitation to the habits of older drinkers. But all pride themselves on giving non-judgemental, human support. To show people they’re dealing with a real person we encourage the advisors to put a bit of their personality across when they’re chatting. So if someone’s from Glasgow they might use some colloquialisms from the area, although not everyone knows what ‘shoogle’ means.
The people who access webchat are often very different from the people you’ll find in a drug and alcohol service. We’ve had teachers, social workers, even doctors asking for support. Women account for roughly 70% of all chats which is the opposite of normal services. Understandably, many of these people are unsure about how treatment works. A lot of their knowledge seems to come from American movies, standing in front of the local community declaring themselves an alcoholic or drug user. They also think they’re going to have to remortgage their house to pay for it. A huge part of webchat is dispelling these myths so people have the confidence to access support.
But for others, accessing webchat can be an end in itself. It fits in with some people’s lives better. People can chat on the bus on the way to work or while the kids are at school. People who struggle to open up in ‘real life’ often find the anonymity of chatting online very liberating. We regularly chat to people who are clearly desperate to share but just don’t have an outlet. Some can be brutally honest about how they’re feeling which is why there’s always at least two advisors and one supervisor working so we can support each other. We also get safeguarding concerns like any other service. When someone comes online saying they’ve drunk a bottle of vodka and their children are in the next room we have clear procedures to react to this.
I’ve worked in almost every type of service there is. From needle exchange and detox units to community alcohol support and early years support for pregnant women who use drugs. Webchat allows me to use all that experience to provide meaningful support to people who maybe feel there’s nothing out there for them. If a chatbot, rather than Alain, had responded to the woman being evicted from rehab, it wouldn’t have been able to reassure her, to empathise with the particularities of her situation. It wouldn’t have been able to book her an appointment with a different organisation or dispell her fears. Everybody who accesses support is unique. Only a person can adapt to different people’s situation while offering the human connection they’re looking for.
As told to Nye Jones
If you or someone you love needs help or support, reach out. You can chat to a trained advisor at addaction.org.uk
