We believe in our story… it is about people helping people

People.   Passion.   Possibilities.

There are still a few of us at Lives Lived Well who can remember the circle of volunteers who, in the 1970s, decided to do something about helping people impacted by drugs or alcohol on the Gold Coast. They started by rattling cans on street corners.  This was our humble beginning to a proud history of making a difference and helping change lives across Queensland for over 40 years.

In 2022, Lives Lived Well celebrates providing a decade of support to more than 114,000 people across Queensland and New South Wales. The organisation as we know it today was created in May 2012 when three key alcohol and drug service providers: the Alcohol and Drug Foundation Queensland, the Gold Coast Drug Council, and the Queensland Drug and Alcohol Council recognised the benefits of combining expertise and resources towards achieving a shared purpose.

Since that time, we have evolved and strengthened our clinical practice, invested in research and training, found ways to work more efficiently, developed more flexible services to better meet client needs and grown our service range and locations.

We now work with more people in more places and we measure how we make a difference.  Some things have never changed from those humble beginnings – our belief that with the right support people can change their lives for the better and that the dedication of our staff is key to making this happen.

These days, we are grateful to receive funding from government bodies, both federal and state, and work closely with our funders to ensure our services meet the needs of the communities we work in and that we can continue to help the thousands of people and families we work with every year.

At Lives Lived Well, we aim to be the type of organisation that:

• has pride in our people and our work
• doesn’t just talk about it, we do it
• is here to work with you and will support you to take action.

On 1 September 2017, Lives Lived Well welcomed Lyndon in NSW, with a friendly merger that will see Lyndon continue to provide support in NSW. Lyndon and Lives Lived Well share similar goals and values and believe that this partnership will create an even stronger organisation – one that can make a bigger difference to the lives of more people.

On 1 October 2020, Lives Lived Well welcomed Watershed, a long-standing alcohol and other drug service provider in Wollongong NSW with an amicable union by way of a merger. The joining together of Watershed and Lives Lived Well is a strengthening of the two service provider’s services and a continuation of quality support to people and families impacted by alcohol or drugs.

On 15 May 2022, Lives Lived Well turned 10. Our priority is to make treatment more accessible to more people, in more areas. We’ll continue working with communities across Queensland and New South Wales to support people to live their lives well.

Lives Lived Well is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, find us on the charity register here.