Women also articulated a need to know what services are available. As one respondent to our community questionnaire said: "The biggest problem I see in obtaining help for alcoholism is the lack of knowledge of where to go for help. I went a long time not knowing what help is available." Another woman echoed her sentiments: "I went a long time not knowing what help was available besides AA. I think Detox Centers and Rehab programs should be more advertised and people should be told where to call and what to expect." Since December, 1994, we have been providing an information session once a month to the local transition house, giving women information on substance use/abuse and inviting them to attend our sessions and workshops if they feel the need.

A "talking" or self-help group, attended by women in the community, has been implemented in response to needs expressed in the questionnaire and runs each Tuesday for two hours. This group has been ongoing since May, 1994, with over 45 women passing through since its inception. One of the strongest reasons women have found the "talking group" relevant to their lives is the absence of "sex games" and sexual harassment that are so often present in mixed groups. Women also expressed appreciation for the feelings of comfort, empathy and understanding that the women in the talking group give one other. Women in the group have been through similar situations and can relate extremely well to one another.

Community support for women with substance abuse in their lives should be readily available. As the WASA research indicated, lack of money is for many women the number one barrier to seeking treatment, as well as having sole responsibility for their children. One woman in the WASA project highlighted this by saying: "Women wishing to enter a recovery program must seek help from women who have found recovery. Money and a babysitter must be made available along with assertiveness training and self- esteem courses." Free childcare is provided for all workshops related to the WASA project.

The lack of women-centered services with no network support were other barriers reported. One respondent clearly articulated this need: "I believe there should be available a facility for women, staffed by women, focusing on women's issues." So, too, did one teen woman: "I agree that women should have facilities to go to that will increase their own personal feelings toward themselves. Women need women counsellors."

The women found that they received insensitive referral from agencies, and that the agencies had less information about women's needs. They also stated that they were not assessed properly by the agencies and that the gender of the intake worker was extremely important to them. Important, also, to one woman was the fact that: "Many facilities are run by 'caretaker' personalities who care but don't have understanding through experience. Book study knowledge could be quoted, but I always felt they couldn't relate and they often admitted it. They made me feel they were above me and I was less than them. I was the broken person and they were the fixers."