Far too many children grow up in families where alcohol or drug abuse defines their daily lives. It is precisely these children and families that the Free from Addiction Association works to reach, which is why the Fonden Sol og Strand has chosen to support the association's outreach and counseling efforts.

– This is a donation that means we can help more children and their families. We have around 1,000 conversations each year, but we receive far more inquiries than we have counseling capacity for. With 50,000 kroner, we can help a lot of families, says the association's director and founder, Anne-Camilla Nielskov.

Free from Addiction is a nationwide association that offers free and anonymous counseling to parents and relatives affected by addiction.

– We are often the very first ones that families confide in about an addiction. Therefore, it is important that Free from Addiction is experienced as a caring and safe place where families with children can be met and helped forward, she says.

The purpose of the association is to improve the upbringing and living conditions for the children who suffer as a result of their parents' addiction.

– Children deserve safe and caring environments, but a childhood in a family affected by addiction can often be marked by neglect and an increased risk of violence and conflicts, says Anne-Camilla Nielskov, who has worked as a substance abuse counselor in the City of Copenhagen.

– In my job, I met mothers and fathers who wished they had dared to ask for help, but who did not contact the municipality for fear of losing their children. I was happy in my job and would have stayed in it if I felt I could solve the challenges from within – but I did not experience that as possible.

According to the association, one in ten children in Denmark grows up with a parent who has an alcohol addiction. In addition, there is an unknown number of children who grow up with a mother or father who has an addiction to cannabis, cocaine, or other drugs. In Copenhagen alone, it is estimated that around 15,000 fathers or mothers have an addiction to alcohol or drugs.

– We try to identify and reach out to the families with children who are not yet aware of our services. Some need just one conversation, while others need several before they are ready to be helped to other services – including municipalities and treatment options, says Anne-Camilla Nielskov.

The association's director Anne-Camilla Nielskov is a former substance abuse counselor in the City of Copenhagen.

Free from Addiction works purposefully with early detection and bridging to relevant support services so that families can receive help before problems become overwhelming.

– On average, it takes 10-12 years before a person with addiction enters treatment. For a child, that can be their entire childhood. Therefore, it is important to identify families affected by addiction at an early stage and ensure they receive the necessary support and counseling – not least because we know that one-third of the children who grow up in a home with addiction will develop an addiction themselves later in life. It is about breaking the pattern that otherwise gets passed down, says Anne-Camilla Nielskov.

Free from Addiction receives nearly 300,000 kroner in public funding each year and is therefore dependent on support from foundations, businesses, and private donors. It is a demanding task to raise the necessary financing, and Anne-Camilla Nielskov hopes that the association can eventually achieve public core funding.

– The goal is to reach 3,000 conversations by 2030. The need is there, but it requires significantly more capacity and thus financing, says Anne-Camilla Nielskov, who has never regretted choosing to resign from her permanent job to follow her heart.

– It didn't feel like a choice when I founded the association, but something I had to do. I won't hide the fact that it has been tough. I am a mother of three children, and for two years I received no salary – but I have never regretted my choice. I feel immense joy that the association can help so many people, says Anne-Camilla Nielskov.