A new support group for former drug addicts and users trying to kick the habit is being set up in Brighouse.

Link will be launched at a date yet to be decided with the help of a £150 grant from the Home Office-backed West Yorkshire Drugs Prevention Initiative.

The group will meet every Sunday from 2pm to 4pm at Brighouse Town Hall in Thornton Square and will be run by a trainee counsellor.

Dozens of leaflets and posters are being distributed next week in doctors' surgeries, hospitals, clinics, libraries and Calderdale Council offices to publicise the new service.

The trainee counsellor, Ann Breaks, 45, of Brighouse, who is a former care assistant in a nursing home, said: "A lot of ex-users suffer from low self-esteem, low self-confidence, live alone and get bored because they have a lot of free time on their hands.

"They find it difficult to readjust to society and may even lack the confidence to go out of the house and often lapse. They aren't aware of options available to them.

"Many users want to come off drugs but lack the support.

"The group will provide somewhere ex-addicts and users can sit and talk in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. It will also be confidential and non judgmental.

"At the same time members will be able to get advice on medication, benefits, housing, college courses and re-training to help them find jobs.

"We also hope to organise activities such as swimming and football to give people the confidence to go out and make new friends.

"The aim of the group is to show the members there is a future for them and a path they can go down instead of a dead end street."

She said the group would be open to people across Calderdale, Kirklees and Bradford and would liaise with the Halifax-based anti-drugs agency Dashline, social services and health workers.

The group can be contacted on 01484 722223 - the same number as Brighouse Parents and Relatives Support Group (Drugs) where Ann is a volunteer.

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