DDN_June26 DDN Magazine June 2026 | Page 18

ARM IN ARM

Effective support for armed forces veterans struggling with substance issues means understanding the unique set of challenges they face, hears Georgina Sayers

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
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THE FIRST STEP IS THE HARDEST

Nicola Wilding, team leader and armed forces lead in WithYou’ s Stokeon-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.
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.
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 nowhusband, an army veteran, and again I was shocked and saddened hearing his story and the lack of support he received.
Nicola Wilding:‘ We’ ll be there’
That was when I decided to start making links with local veteran services, so I joined our local triservices veteran support centre
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