Twelve clients attending a voluntary agency, a local Council on Alcohol in a Scottish Community, were interviewed individually over a period of up to 1 year. The aims of this study were to explore clients' perceptions of their experiences during the year and their perceptions of help received from the agency. A qualitative approach was used. Important themes that emerged were past drinking and ill-health, temptations to drink, family relationships, counselling, women's experiences of groups and social activities. The study indicated that urges to drink, lapses and relapse were common experiences and such urges needed to be worked with. While individual counselling was very important, gender sensitive services, a women's group and other social activities were also important and the contributions of a range of staff and service provision was valued by users. Changes and improvements in family relationships were perceived by users as valued developments, as a result of them abstaining from, or reducing, alcohol intake. The study indicated that these problem drinkers in a Scottish community perceived helping as going beyond therapeutic work with the individual and was part of a wider systems or network approach that involved the flexible use of a range of agency services.