22 June 2026
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.
In this interview, 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.
To start, 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 across the UK. 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 ultimately, no one in the armed forces community falls through the cracks when it comes to drug and alcohol support.
Why is specialist drug and alcohol support so important for the armed forces community?
The armed forces community experiences a unique combination of pressures: operational stress, trauma exposure, sudden transition to civilian life, loss of identity, chronic pain, and sometimes fractured relationships. Alcohol has historically been embedded in military culture, and for some people it becomes a coping mechanism long after service ends.
When you combine that with stigma around seeking support, you get a group of people who often present late, in crisis, or not at all. Specialist support helps break down those barriers.
It says: we understand your world, and you don’t have to explain yourself from scratch.
In addition, and poignantly at present, ongoing conflicts, media coverage and public discussion around readiness have real impact. There is also a wider feeling across the community of uncertainty and watchfulness for some, that reconnects them to a part of their life they have worked hard to move on from. When you combine this with stigma around seeking support, individuals may delay engagement and then are more likely to present in the future in crisis. Generic support can sometimes miss these nuances. Specialist support reduces this friction and frustration and removes the need for individuals to constantly explain their background building trust much earlier.
What are the biggest challenges the armed forces community faces when accessing support?
The biggest barrier for most is often stigma and pride — the belief that asking for help is weakness. Many veterans have spent years in environments where vulnerability wasn’t encouraged.
For many women, we understand that they face additional barriers accessing services and have often experienced significant sexual or emotional trauma from military service. Therefore being reminded of ‘military life’ can create additional trauma. That’s why last year we launched the Rebuild Project, which provides specialist trauma-focused psychological therapy for women veterans.
Another challenge is navigating the system. There are many brilliant organisations out there, but the landscape can feel overwhelming. People don’t always know where to start, or they get bounced between services.
Finally, transition remains a critical pressure point. Leaving the forces can mean losing structure, identity, and community overnight. That’s when some people begin to struggle.
What makes WithYou’s armed forces programme unique in the drug and alcohol sector?
Three things stand out.
First, we recognise that military culture is different and so is the way people seek help. Veterans often avoid or delay asking for support, minimise their struggles, or feel they should “just get on with it.” Our programme is designed to meet people where they are, without judgement.
Second, we embed armed forces leads within all local services. These are people who understand military life, speak the language, and can build trust quickly.
Third, we work in partnership rather than in isolation.
We collaborate with partners and our sponsors including the Army Benevolent Fund and The Armed Forces Covenant Trust, as well as local authorities, housing providers, and other community organisations. That network means we can respond to complex needs fast, whether that’s drug and alcohol support or referring to other partners for homelessness, mental health or social isolation.
What does effective support look like for veterans and serving personnel?
It’s about access, trust and coordination. Many veterans have had difficult experiences with services that didn’t “get” them or who were passed through various services having to retell their story. Drug and alcohol challenges rarely exist alone, and can often be compounded by housing, benefits, mental health, physical health and social connection.
Our best work happens when we bring partners together around the individual. I’ve seen cases where, within hours, someone has been linked to a GP, secured temporary accommodation, connected with the Royal British Legion, and booked in for clinical support. One example that has stuck with me is a man who was on a course with a military charity in Cornwall who confided in his instructor on the last day of the course that he was struggling with alcohol and didn’t know where he would turn when he went back to his home in Scotland. Within ten minutes of the instructor’s call to us he was referred into the WithYou service in his local area and he had a phone call to talk through his needs and arrange a first appointment. This all started from a single conversation nearly 600 miles away. That’s the model we’re building nationally.
What message would you share with veterans or serving personnel who might be hesitant to reach out?
The first step is sometimes the hardest. You’ve already done the hard things in life. Asking for support isn’t weakness — it’s strength.
You don’t have to face drug and alcohol or mental health challenges alone. We’re here, we understand the culture you come from, and we’ll walk alongside you every step of the way. We’re proud of you and we’re WithYou.
To learn more about our support for the Armed Forces Community, visit wearewithyou.org.uk/what-we-do/drug-and-alcohol-services-for-adults/support-for-the-armed-forces-community