Bringing Addiction Out in the Open

With more than half the country touched by addiction but so many too afraid to talk about it, Addiction Awareness Week reminds us why these conversations are important

When I saw HRH The Princess of Wales’s message to The Forward Trust’s Taking Action on Addiction Campaign in support of Addiction Awareness Week (HRH has been Patron of The Forward Trust since 2021), this quote stood out: “Addiction is not a choice, or a personal failing, but a complex mental health condition that should be met with empathy and support.”

HRH The Princess of Wales.Image credit: PA

There’s a certain stigma attached to admitting to being an addict – I was definitely worried what people would think about me, especially on the school run. I didn’t want to say I was an addict. It felt too strong a word. According to the NHS “Addiction is defined as not having control over doing, taking or using something to the point where it could be harmful to you.” But when you consider this definition, I most certainly was (and always will be) addicted to alcohol.

But now? I don’t care what anyone thinks. I recently told someone I hadn’t met before about my sober coaching business and she said how refreshing it was to hear someone talk about sobriety so openly; she’d never experienced that before. I felt proud to be the person changing that.

As part of the Taking Action on Addiction Campaign and to mark Addiction Awareness Week, new Ipsos data shines an important light on the fact that addiction is woven through our everyday lives and far more than we realise.

• Over half of UK adults have either experienced addiction themselves or know someone who has.

• More than half of those say they would feel uncomfortable talking to their employer about it.

• A third wouldn’t even speak to close family or friends.

  
  

Half the country is touched by addiction but so many people feel they can’t tell the people closest to them. This makes my heart ache. That people won’t speak up because they’re worried they’ll be judged. But it’s not surprising when the stereotypical image of an addict is Mary in Eastenders (showing my age there!) or Ewan McGregor’s character, Renton in Trainspotting (another old reference, but you get my point).

The women I work with don’t fit the stereotypical image of addiction. They’re holding down jobs. Raising families. Going to the gym. Running businesses. Doing school pick-ups. But they feel ashamed because they can’t moderate and they hide it because society still misunderstands what addiction really is.

HRH The Princess of Wales said something else that really resonated with me: “Recovery is hard, but with the right treatment it is possible. And this begins with a conversation, a listening ear and showing we care.” And I can offer that.

When I got sober, it took me a long time to even say the word “sober” out loud. I didn’t want the label of being someone with a drinking problem. I just wanted to work through my recovery quietly.

But when I finally started sharing my story, I learned that the more openly you talk about addiction, the less power stigma has. And the conversations that felt daunting at first became the very thing that connected me to others and continues to do so.

If you’d like to talk, email me ali@alipaynecoaching.com.