In our industry drinking is as the centre of so much of what we do. We serve alcohol, we use it to socialise, to unwind after a long shift, to tune out of the stresses of the job, even to sleep when adrenaline is pumping. This can be a slippery slope, and before we know it we might be turning to it a little more than we’d like, or experiencing negative behaviours in the workplace as a result of others’ negative relationship with alcohol or substances.

 

One in three of us has an addiction to something – whether that’s our phone, or work, or sugar, or drink, or illegal substances. We need to remove the stigma behind addiction so that everyone can seek the help that they need.

Resources for addiction in The Hospitality Community

We’ve been working with the Rob Hill Foundation to provide the community with resources to help everyone in the community, from the merely curious to the really worried, whether you’re struggling yourself or whether you’re affected by the behaviour of a loved one or a colleague. You can find out more about what the foundation does here and here.

Many people think that the only route available to battle addiction is a 12-step program, eg Alcoholics Anonymous. This is not the case – The Rob Hill Foundation works by exploring the interplay between your body and your subconscious mind, tuning in to combat unhelpful thoughts as they arise. It is useful to know that there are many routes that you can go down when starting the journey to recovery, and we have listed a few resources below.

We recommend going down whatever route you feel drawn to.  And remember – by making contact, you are NOT committing to that path. If you don’t feel it works, try something else – It might take a few tries before something sticks, but at least you’re starting to take control.

• The Rob Hill Foundation has a dedicated email address specifically for our community: countertalk@robhillfoundation.org. This email address goes directly to Steve, a councillor at the foundation, and every single person who emails will be responded to.

• Download the 7 Myths of Addiction ebook here

• You may find the 7 Day Plan useful, it explains in greater detail the interplay between your subconscious mind, your body and addiction, and explores how to break the cycle in easy steps. You can find that here.

• The RHF has an online workshop every Monday at 7pm. You can register for it here.

• There is also an online course available which costs £97. All the money from sales goes straight back to the RHF to fund workshops. This cost gives you lifetime access to a guided personal workshop plan, which you can do at home and in your own time. You can find more here.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• The Drinks Trust has a brilliant initiative called The Mindful Drinking Movement with Club Soda, with resources focused on helping you change your relationship with drink, whether that’s cutting down or quitting altogether. More information here, where you can also find some good articles and access to a mindful drinking community.

• Friends and family of addicts or suspected addicts may find Al-Anon useful – we have first-had accounts of this being a real lifeline. This is their website, and this document contains details of worldwide Al-Anon zoom meetings.

• OK Rehab specialises in local drug and alcohol rehab and addiction treatment. This treatment is available via both inpatient and outpatient treatment providers. They also work with clinics that are able to facilitate treatment taking place in your own home, who are able to provide professional intervention and home detoxification.

• OK Rehab’s aim is to help individuals break free from the shackles of addiction and find a treatment that’s ideally suited to their needs. This treatment is applicable for drug addiction, alcoholism and process/behavioural addictions. Many of the treatments are recommended to take place at residential rehab clinics. OK Rehab have partnered with over 140 clinics of this nature across the UK and abroad.
  

We will be adding to this page with more information, please keep checking back, and please email service@countertalk.co.uk if you’d like to notify us of a resource we should include.