ADDICTED!

...but the world we live in may actually save your life

By Alice Jones

WORKING part time in a private addiction unit gives me a particular insight and glimpse into a world which most are not fully aware of.

I can say, beyond doubt, that while we become increasingly aware of the damage lockdown periods and furlough caused across the ages and to the economy, another thing it escalated was addiction.

Listening to patients, story after story links back to this enforced period of time when routines were abandoned and fear was amplified, leading to many who misused substances on occasion enlisting this behaviour as the daily norm.

Who was to know if the coffee being sipped on the morning Zoom session was topped up with vodka? For many, it proved to be the tipping point into a spiral of self-sabotage that proved unstoppable and those ending up in rehab are most likely the tip of a very alarming iceberg. Private care is extortionate and the NHS supports a minority.