Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Top Tips

(These Top Tips were produced by Scottish Drugs Forum) Many organisations regard recruiting volunteers with a history of drug misuse as ‘difficult’ or ‘risky’. Years of experience tells us that it is hugely rewarding for both organisations and individuals. If you are comfortable that your practice around recruiting and supporting volunteers is good then you should have no particular issues with people with lived experience of drug misuse.

Recruitment 

Stating that your organisation is committed to an unspecified equalities or diversity agenda is probably inadequate to reassure people with a history of drug misuse and encourage applications. You may have to explicitly state, perhaps in a list with other groups, that your organisation is actively seeking to recruit people with a history of drug misuse. You may refer to this group as ‘people in recovery from drug use’ but you should be aware that recovery has no specific generally accepted meaning and may include people who are abstinent, in treatment or using in a controlled manner or ‘recreationally’.

Disclosure 

An explicit statement that you want to recruit people with a history of drug misuse also allows people to feel more relaxed about disclosing their own history in an interview situation. It is important to handle such disclosures well. People seek an understanding or at least a sympathetic hearing and feedback that they were correct in deciding to disclose. They may then want to discuss what happens in terms of recording or sharing information. Your organisation should have thought through these matters and have adequate systems in place. 

Disclosure in interview should not be explored in detail. Usually, disclosure would occur around gaps or changes in working patterns, periods of unemployment, motivations for volunteering, for example. 

DBS 

People with a history of drug misuse may work with vulnerable people. To doso, like everyone else, you will need to implement a DBS process. Some people with a history of drug misuse may have convictions related to their drug use. These can be divided into three categories – drug crimes (possession and perhaps supply);crimes related to the acquisition of money to buy drugs (shoplifting, for example) and crimes committed while under the influence of drugs (drug driving, for example). Unless the individual is barred from regulated work, it is up to you to decide whether these convictions are a cause for current concern. In making this judgement you should speak to the person involved and hear their account of how these crimes occurred. You should consider how closely they are related to the use of drugs – e.g. has crime stopped at around the same time as drug misuse? Does the person have a perspective on that part of their life and regard it as over? 

Support 

 Organisations may feel that people with a history of drug misuse will need extra support. This is not necessarily true. It is unlikely that people will need support that you would not perhaps be offering to other volunteers. Adequate support provision and systems for other volunteers will be sufficient for people who have had a history of drug misuse. People are always most likely to ask for support or to discuss issues with which they may need support as part of a respectful, empathetic relationship and so adequate support supervision is key to supporting people – including people with a history of substance misuse. 

Drug use 

 Organisations may feel that people with a history of drug misuse may relapse and use again and be daunted about reacting appropriately and protecting other stakeholders who would possible be affected if this happened. As with alcohol, your policy may say that no one is to be or appear to be under the influences of drugs while volunteering. If someone is under the influence of any substance a clear procedure should exist for staff to deal with this in a way that protects all stakeholders including the person under the influence. The risk of this occurring with someone with a history of misuse is not necessarily any higher than other volunteers. In the event of relapse, a person with a drug misuse is far more likely to withdraw from volunteering. You may want to consider what duty you have, of any, to reach out to a vulnerable person in this situation and how that should be done.

Stigma 

People with drug misuse may have been stigmatised because of their use of drugs, because they have a drug problem and even because they have been in treatment and are in recovery. They may even have come to accept this as ‘normal’. As an employer seeking to support and empower people you cannot accept this and should challenge stigma appropriately and effectively. You may want to raise awareness and insight into issues relating to drug misuse amongst your staff and volunteers. You may want to challenge stigmatising language and attitudes. It is important to bear in mind how stigma can be internalised by people who suffer from stigma. The fact that they do not object to people’s language or attitudes does not mean that they are not damaging. 

Training and support 

As with all volunteering, you recognise that it is important to ‘get things right’ and so it is worth undertaking adequate preparations in terms of training and supporting staff. You should discuss the core values of your organisation and why you work with volunteers. A general approach allows people to realise that people who misuse are not some specialist group but rather people who need support in largely the same way as other volunteers

• Consider people with a history of problem drug use as an asset 

Thanks for reading to the last top tip; now the most important thing is for you and your organisation to remember... to view people as an asset to your organisation. People who have had difficult lives or challenging experiences can bring insights that are an asset to your organisation in its role and in supporting and engaging other volunteers and stakeholders who have had similar experiences. People who have missed out on education or work experiences because of their drug misuse can bring their motivation and commitment to your organisation. People who have misused drugs can view volunteering not only ‘as something to do’ but as an important element in their recovery and a means to develop a different sense of themselves and to be viewed in a different way by others. So don’t engage people with a history of drug misuse because you think they ‘deserve a break’ but because they are potentially a huge human asset to your organisation and part of the community which your organisation seeks to engage and support. 

The above can also apply to other addictions such as:- 

•Alcohol 

•Gambling 

•Food 

•Money 

•Substance 

•Adrenalin 

•Shopping 

Scenario

Title: Drug and Alcohol Use

Background: The volunteer had been struggling with alcohol and drug use for many years. This was due to having suffered trauma and abuse over a number of years.

Volunteer Role: Hospitality

Support Provided to the Volunteer:

• As well as attending the peer support group the charity provided a mentor to help support the volunteer.

• With the support of the peer support group the person became aware that they were not alone in dealing with their issues. Their peers fully understood the issues they were dealing with.

• The person attended various courses, talks, social events and then became a volunteer for the charity

Impact:

• The person was able to deal with their drug and alcohol issues with the support of the charity and other agencies.

• They became a valuable member of the volunteer team and society.