Behind the scenes at the Bristol Drug Project

David Anyinsah, Bristol youth links worker

In term time I’m based in schools offering an advice and guidance service for young people. I hold workshops looking at healthy safe options around drugs and alcohol, one-to-one advice with young people who may be using substances giving them a chance to talk about things openly. I also run our Hidden Harm programme, which works with young people who are affected by parental or carer’s substance misuse emotional work mainly with younger people.

We make sure we are very distinct from the schools and teachers – we are not part of the school, we are an additional, voluntary service…We are not your teacher or your parent we are not your friend – we are here to give you a balanced view point and a sounding board at the same time.

School can be a scary and intimidating place for young people and the more people who are around to support and guide them helps. I always wanted to be alongside young people to inspire people – they take it in they are like sponges and it’s a great group to work with.

 Alex Caulder, alcohol support worker 

I worked in the building trade but I got to the point where I wanted a complete change and turn around in what I was doing.

Five years ago I made some massive changes in my life and went back to college to re-educate myself.

If you have made significant changes in your life it definitely allows you to understand the difficulties and barriers that people have to make changes in their lives. 

I have just completed the traineeships at BDP and with that you do all kinds of different things – working in the advice centre, working in the needle exchange, offering harm reduction advice and one-to-ones with clients. 

I’m now delivering alcohol detox support, working with clients who are physically dependent on alcohol.  If someone had told me five years ago that I’d be managing a case load of clients and helping people to become drug and alcohol free, I’d have probably laughed and carried on my merry way.

Chris Cunnelly, volunteer

I’ve known about Bristol Drugs Project for quite some time – my own background is addiction although I’ve been clean for a few years now.

I’ve been on the other side a few years ago and I know what goes on and what’s involved with providing the service and I wanted to give something back.

The five weeks training was great…there was so much support there and supervision. It prepares you for what you will be confronted with, who will be coming in and how to help them.

I feel complete empathy towards the people walking through the door – there are two guys downstairs and you can see the change in them even in a week – that is a fantastic experience to see that.

I can think back to where I was and to be on the other side is just an amazing transformation.

Jasmine Lawrie, engagement worker

I work in the front line open access part of the service. I am one of the first faces people see as they first come into Bristol Drugs Project.

The essence of BDP is to be non-judgemental and open. People will come in in all kinds of states of anxiety or intoxication but it’s about appreciating the fact that it has taken that individual a lot to come in and try to make the feel as welcome as possible – that’s what my job is. Big smile, find out who they are and what they are here for and then try to solve how best to help them.

Drug problems can inspire very different political beliefs and so in training we learnt to appreciate that there isn’t a right or wrong answer – it is about seeing a person as an individual and trying to help them in whatever way you can at that moment. 

Damien McLaughlin, shared care worker

I prescribe opiate replaceable treatments for people primarily with heroin addiction. I can see up to 12 people a day in my clinic and my main job is safely prescribing their replacement.

You are never treating people in a vacuum – I’m not just treating their drug problems.

For me this is the really important stuff – engagement into someone’s life who may have complete chaos in it and if I can bring some support and stability and enrich their life in some way.

For some people I will have high expectations – they will have a lot of stability in their lives. For them they can take the next step into detox and employment. For someone who is suffering from hepatitis, injecting into abscesses, who has serious mental health problem or serious alcoholism my next step is trying to keep them alive.

Jayne Peters, treatment services manager

When I first started nearly 20 years ago it was a small organisation. I now manage a team of 30 people and Bristol Drugs Project has grown a lot.

On an average diary I think I don’t have much to do…eight and a half hours later I don’t know where the time as gone. I spend a lot of time supporting people in my team to assess risk. We work in partnership with GPs and provide one-to-one care for people who have opiate problems in surgeries. I work with 46 health centres across Bristol and hundreds of GPs.

Whilst there is no doubt that some people are still alive thanks to BDP, many have reduced harm and don’t have disease and haven’t transmitted disease to other people and have improved relationships with families – they are the headlines. Change doesn’t happen rapidly – it’s a drip, drip effect and we sometime take that for granted. We expect to see fireworks and someone to make huge changes. Sometimes you need to take very small steps on a road to making positive change. Those small steps build up and build up and suddenly you realise you’ve walked a mile.

Rhea Warner, group work team leader

I support and supervise 11 workers who deliver therapeutic groups on a daily basis. They deliver preparation for recovery group work programmes, recovery day programme and detox action course for people who want to detox in the community. We also have the Rising Voices choir and Step Ladder drama group.

I love the fact that we get to invest in people who may not have had such a positive experience of people being respectful of them, giving them time. BDP treats everyone equally and the belief that we have in people’s ability to make changes in their life underpins the work we do. Over the years I have seen that and to see that transition in someone is amazing. 

Read more about how the Bristol Drugs Project has spent 30 years battling against addiction in Bristol.