Women biggest group seeking help for issues with drugs, alcohol and mental health via digital platform
18 October 2023
Webchat run by national charity WithYou is a ‘digital lifeline’ to women and other groups unlikely to seek traditional support, with 67 percent of all users never before accessing professional help
In a new report, national charity WithYou has analysed seven years of data from its webchat — a virtual service where people can speak to a trained professional about struggles with drugs, alcohol or mental health.
Strikingly, despite men being more likely to use drugs and alcohol than women and making up the vast majority of the drug treatment population, nearly two-thirds (60%) of webchat users are women.
The webchat service provides brief interventions, advice, referrals and emotional support, with 20% of sessions provided outside ‘regular’ working hours when in-person services are not available. This gives working professionals, primary caregivers and other groups who can’t or don’t want to use an in-person service the opportunity to get help.
Offering both accessibility and anonymity, the webchat has proven key to reaching women and other groups — such as the LGBTQ+ community — often facing high levels of stigma. For many women who face stigma as primary caregivers and for other reasons, male-dominated services can be daunting and intimidating places.
Robin Pollard, Head of Policy at WithYou, said:
“Our Webchat service has become a ‘digital lifeline’ for women across the UK.
“It is unique in that it provides greater accessibility and anonymity than in-person services. We know this is particularly important to women, who may be worried about the stigma attached to asking for help and, importantly, may simply find it difficult to prioritise their own wellbeing while juggling work and family life.
“Our Webchat can be accessed discreetly on a computer, tablet or phone. People can get advice from our charity while at work, on the school run, or making dinner. And that advice could change their lives.”
Abby Bradshaw, Virtual Support Worker at WithYou, helps people all across the UK from her home in Kent, said:
‘Whether it’s helping a woman detox from methadone, finding treatment options for someone facing eviction from a residential rehabilitation centre or helping young people with high levels of anxiety after a night out, webchat is a safe space where people can seek help anonymously — either for themselves or for someone they are worried about, without judgement. Chats come in on a 1-2-1 basis, meaning we can give each person our full support and attention.
I have supported people seeking help for struggles with drugs, alcohol and mental health since 2016, working in the webchat since 2020. Knowing that the service has had an incredible impact on people’s ability to make positive changes to their lives, I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else. Hopefully, this is just the beginning, we want to expand the webchat service so that we can help more people access support in their own time and in a place where they feel safe.”