Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs services at Leichhardt Women’s… 

• Assessment and counselling (up to 12 sessions) for women experiencing disadvantage who are wanting help with their use of Alcohol, Tobacco and/or Other Drugs. Women who are wanting help with dealing with the substance use of someone close to them may also be eligible.
• Talks in community venues (phone us to request a talk)
• Groups to assist with developing healthy lifestyles and healthy relationships
• Stalls and other health promotion activities in community venues
• Referrals to other service providers
• Referral to complementary services (acupuncture or naturopathy) to assist in the counselling/support process

For women who have problematic substance use issues, the Centre has an emphasis on relapse prevention whilst addressing the psychosocial issues integral to women’s substance use. It is not within our focus to provide supported withdrawal, pharmacotherapies or to treat clients with severe untreated psychiatric illnesses. It's also important to know that due to resource limitations the Centre has an inability to respond immediately or intensively to crisis situations.

Who can use the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs service …

The ATOD services are for women who are on low incomes (under $20,000pa).

Counselling and groups are provided to women with an addiction to alcohol, tobacco and/or other drugs (including prescription medication). Women affected by the substance use of someone significant to them (eg a partner or a family member), and wanting help with dealing with that person's substance use, may also be eligible for counselling.  

Increasingly women wanting help with quitting or reducing smoking tobacco are taking up a short course of counselling appointments to help ensure their next quit attempt is 'the' successful one.  

A voluntary donation of $10, or $5 concession, at the time of the visit is appreciated and helps cover the Centre's running costs. 

The way we work with women affected by alcohol, tobacco or other drugs …

We work within the ‘social model of health’ framework which recognises the social context of women’s lives. We believe that personal experiences, relationships and environmental issues such as housing, transport and education impact on women’s health. The use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs often also play a role.

We acknowledge that women have less social, economic and political power than men, and that a flow-on effect from this can be that women can feel their personal power is compromised. Harmful alcohol, tobacco and other drug use can be a consequence of negative experiences and feeling disempowered. Using drugs and alcohol can then further compound problems by blocking women’s ability to make healthy decisions. With the right kind of support - positive changes can be within reach.

We work with women to understand their substance use, to minimize the harm and to build personal resilience. For women affected by the substance use of a person significant to them, we work with woman to understand the factors surrounding the use and help her with her decision making and in building self-protective strategies.

Contact us for more information or to book an appointment.