Alcohol still the primary addiction in Guernsey

But the numbers of those seen for gambling problems is continuing to rise.

The charity which helps islanders affected by drugs, alcohol and gambling, and minimises related harms through education, prevention and counselling, released its 2024 report yesterday.

Executive officer Tracey Rear said that reducing the stigma associated with seeking help for the behaviours it worked with continued to be a challenge.

‘We hope to contribute to an increased understanding about how language and different perspectives on problem use and the solutions to these are often complex,’ she said.

‘Raising awareness of our services, what we provide and for whom, continue to remain one of our priorities.

‘I believe Guernsey provides a unique offering in approach in the third sector as Independence addresses complexity without withholding treatment due to substance use. We address it in the context of other co-existing life problems such as depression, anxiety and experiences of trauma.’

Community referrals for the year totalled 158 – a 5% increase on 2023, with 72 clients citing alcohol as the primary problem, up from 59 in the previous year.

There were also 43 referrals to the Criminal Justice Substance Service, a partnership between Independence and the Probation Service.

The charity uses the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test to measure changes to alcohol-related risk in clients, with 41 clients going through that process during 2023.

At the start of treatment, 80% of participants were reported as ‘high risk’ drinkers. By the end of treatment, half of these people had been re-categorised as low risk.

While referrals into the service for gambling were relatively low, with only 15 referrals for 2024, this was still a significant increase from just four in 2019 when the service was first offered.

The report said that online gambling was the primary reason islanders were accessing the service.

Seven people completed treatment for gambling problems during 2024. Six were high-risk gamblers at assessment, with one moderate-risk gambler.

By the end of treatment six were reassessed as non-problem gamblers, with one low-risk gambler.

Mrs Rear said that the work on gambling addiction was generally funded via charitable donations and from the gambling industry.

‘If we see an increase in the numbers seeking help in this area, this will become a challenge for service delivery,’ she said.

She said that staff recruitment continued to be one of the challenges of running the service.

‘We deliver therapies that are heavily influenced by cognitive behavioural therapy, and which require a specific skillset, training and experience,’ she said.

‘Naturally, in a small island these resources may be hard found. Providing interventions with a strong evidence base is important to us and to our clients. Employing and training our staff to best practice also remains a priority.’

She added that she hoped that in 2025 the community would continue to support their efforts to reduce stigma associated with problematic use.

‘And that we can continue to deliver services that matter to those that may need them,’ she said. ‘Also that we develop and extend our workforce and service offerings in line with evidenced need.’

• More information can be found at info@independence.gg or by calling 01481 729000.