Amy Winehouse died in 2011 aged 27

A FOUNDATION which has helped thousands of young people understand the dangers of alcohol and drugs stands as a fitting tribute to Amy Winehouse, her stepmother told the New Journal this week.

Jane Winehouse said she believed the late singer would have been proud of the charity’s wide-reaching aims in helping better educate the next generation about addiction.

The Amy Winehouse Foundation has provided real life lessons about drugs and alcohol to teenagers in schools across the country, provided counselling to hundreds more, and funds a residential project for women in recovery called Amy’s Place.

“I think she would get it,” said Ms Winehouse. “I mean we never had that conversation, I never dreamt I would need to have these kind of conversations with her. But she was very charitable. She gave a lot of time and money to charity. I think it would have felt remiss not to tackle the subjects that affected Amy and the whole point is to help as many young people as we can and bring something positive.”

The Foundation’s work comes as cash-strapped councils and health authorities are struggling to maintain effective drug and alcohol service.

Ms Winehouse said: “It is very worrying what is going on in the treatment arena and recovery right now. Some councils are going bankrupt – that is the place we are in right now. It is very worrying what the future of funding will be. It’s the young people that fall between the gaps.”

Ms Winehouse said that women were disproportionately affected by addiction and more likely to “relapse”, adding: “For women it can be very difficult because their needs can be more complex. Sadly 100 per cent of ­people at Amy’s Place have suffered some sort of harm from others. It can be domestic abuse or gender-based violence.”

She added: “Very few people can get into residential rehab, but if they do it is important that when they leave they do not go back to the life they were living before.

“Whatever the method of reaching sobriety, after going through whatever treatment it is, people in recovery will need to learn to live their lives without substances for the first time.”

She said the idea for Amy’s Place came from a woman she met at a rehab centre who was terrified about going home after getting sober. Amy’s Place is a block of 16 flats where women in recovery can live for up to two years independently but with support from a trained team of staff.

Ms Winehouse said: “Every resident has a dedicated team member. They get taught skills about how to readapt and maintain recovery. There is emotional support. All learn practical stuff about budgeting and food shopping. They get help registering with doctors and dentists.

“Addiction is a chronic condition. Relapsing is part of it, but Amy’s Place has been hugely effective.”

Ms Winehouse said the Foundation had several other programme and had also provided music therapy for children with life limiting conditions in a “haven house”.

But she said its most comprehensive work was its school’s programme, adding: “People in recovery go into schools and colleges and talk to 11-18 year olds.

They will do life ‘shares’ in assemblies, focusing on the underlying issues. “For most young people alcohol or drugs might stay as a bit of fun and lots of people use and never have a problem with it, but for some people it’s very different.

Things are getting better and hopefully we have played a big part in that. We have to keep going with it.” In the past decade the family have handed over around £5million and are continuing to use income from the Winehouse estate to support projects across the world.

Amy’s father Mitch told the New Journal: “Since she died, a lot of the money we get coming in from commissions – things like money from the clothing firm Fred Perry – we give straight to the Foundation. We will never stop helping disadvantaged people. That is how we as a family have dealt with what happened. We channel what Amy did in to doing more good in her name.”

Addiction is a disease

Comment by guest editor SAM TAYLOR-JOHNSON

ADDICTION  needs to be seen as a disease and a health issue and treated as such. How we support that is important. Places like Amy’s House – and other services – for young people who have got into trouble because of addiction are vital and must be properly supported, and funded.”