The WayAhead Team

Mary-Lou has qualifications in Law, Business Management and a Diploma in Social Policy and Criminology which includes social welfare and diversity. She initially came from a local authority background and has worked extensively with Drug and Alcohol Action Teams (DAATs), alcohol advisory services and Youth Justice. She has lectured for many years in alcohol and drug awareness on nationally recognised training courses in colleges, to local residents, and other related organisations. She has also run national drugs seminars for industry experts such as local authority, Police, private drugs dog handling teams and DAATs and was involved in the nationwide DARE project being introduced into UK schools from the USA to improve drug awareness amongst school children. Mary-Lou has written papers for the government on ‘binge drinking’ and the effects of alcohol and drugs on crime and disorder and was a Lead Officer and key contributor in the preparation of the Licensing Act 2003 and the Gambling Act 2005. She received her extensive training in relation to gambling direct from the Gaming Board for Great Britain. Of the years she has spent in Court all of the cases she has undertaken related to alcohol and drugs or licensing issues. Mary-Lou also has experience of inspecting and assessing premises under various types of legislation and is therefore well placed to assess what she sees when visiting the various clinics. She is currently a Victim Support Counsellor, giving support and help to victims of crime and their families.

David Stewart has joined WayAhead Rehab in February 2008 after a successful career in Alcohol and Drugs services both in the public and private sector. David is an alcoholic in recovery – he has not touched alcohol since August 1999.

David started his career in addiction with a Midlands based Drugs and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) and then went on to work with a Youth Justice Team where most of his clients were drug users or abusing alcohol. He has a keen interest in helping young people and was recruited by a well-known Addictions Treatment Group to develop a young people's programme at a clinic in the South West including the highly effective equine therapy. Having successfully launched this programme, he began an external degree in addiction counselling and was promoted to Head of Counselling on gaining his Masters Degree.

Following a restructuring programme with his Healthcare Group, David moved back to the Midlands where he has been working with corporate clients advising them on Stress, Addictions and Workplace Risk Assessments. He continues with this work alongside his new role with WayAhead Rehab.

David believes that not enough is being done to help addicts and his ambition is to assist as many people as possible to access quality inpatient treatment, as he did in the 1999 when he went into rehab. He firmly believes that everyone can get into 'recovery' provided they are given the basic tools by enthusiastic professionals in a sober environment and then maintain an ongoing contact with support groups to reinforce their 'recovery'.

We at WayAhead Rehab feel privileged to have had so much experience in the drugs and alcohol field, but also feel saddened by our first hand knowledge of the devastation it can bring. We know how difficult it is to source quality treatment and we wish to ‘help others’ by helping them find the appropriate treatment for their struggle with addiction.

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