Advice for those seeking recovery from addiction

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a gentleman. He was asking me to provide a link to his website from the website of my band. Normally I consign such emails to the ‘blocked sender’ list. But this one caught my interest because of the song he mentioned, namely our recording of ‘When all you have is a hammer’ by Gretchen Peters.

For those unfamiliar with the song, it’s about a military veteran who deals with trauma he suffered by hitting the bottle.

So, I read his email again, called him and had a chat. I politely declined his initial request, and instead offered to write this blog post. Because, frankly, the song, his choice of it, and his backstory all resonated with events in the lives of people I know – including family.

So, what’s the score?

The gentleman’s name is Oliver Clark, and he helped set-up Rehab 4 Addiction to provide advice for people seeking drug and alcohol rehab clinics in the UK. Oliver told me that he got involved in the charity because of his own personal experiences.

Being a bit unthinking sometimes, I used to have an unsympathetic attitude towards addiction and alcoholism. But recently, I’ve realised how much damage was done to some of my family members by a crime committed against them. That’s led to a couple of them showing serious addictive tendencies. And then I thought about my wider family and realised that several others have had mental health problems and issues with alcohol, again in reaction to things that have happened to them through none of their own fault.

In fact, berievements and being on the receiving end of a serious crime has damaged several people I know, leaving mental scars such as depression and anxiety. And while I’m not aware of any family member having a drugs habit as a result, I do know a couple who consume more than a sensible amount of beer and whiskey. Others have had relationships collapse, trouble holding on to jobs and difficulties with education as a result of trauma.

I’m a fairly ordinary sort of person from an ordinary sort of family. So I have little doubt that my family’s experience of addiction and mental illness is nothing unusual.

So I thought I’d find out a bit more about Oliver’s charity, and help raise awareness (and SEO scores) by writing this blog post.

What does Rehab 4 Addiction do?

In a nutshell, Rehab 4 Addiction offers a free hotline dedicated to helping those suffering from drug, alcohol and mental health problems. Rehab 4 Addiction was founded in 2011 by people who overcame drug and alcohol addiction themselves. You can contact Rehab 4 Addiction on 0800 140 4690.

The charity facilitates admissions into over forty rehab clinics across the United Kingdom and internationally. Its advisors have extensive knowledge of a huge selection of alcohol rehab and drug rehab services throughout the UK and abroad. They create rehab programmes which cater to specific needs.

Mental health awareness

At the time I’m writing this it seems everybody (or at least every media outlet) is talking about mental health. Yet it still seems to be a taboo subject – somebody else’s problem. Well, I don’t think it is.

I’ve suffered anxiety and depression, so have several other members of my extended family, and some have resorted to alcohol to help forget the things that torment them. And I’m sure if you look around you’ll see people you know who have or are suffering mental health issues (major or minor). I think organisations such as Rehab 4 Addiction offer a very important source of help for those who can no longer cope with (or hide) their problems.

I’d like to thank Oliver Clark for contacting me. I hope my blog post helps to raise attention to Rehab 4 Addiction for both those who need its work and those who might like to support the charity.

If you would like to comment on the work of this charity and others performing a similar role, please contact me.