Alcohol Awareness Week | What can employers do to support their people with addiction?

July 7-13 marks Alcohol Awareness Week, a period of campaigning for change and a chance for the UK to get thinking about drinking. Organised by Alcohol Change UK, this year’s campaign is one incredibly relevant for HR - ‘Alcohol & work.’

“How many of us have stopped to think about the impact of the work we do on our risk from alcohol?” asks the charity on its website. 

“With longer hours, more stress, the blurring of lines between work and home, and too many workplace cultures that place booze rather than people at the centre of things, there are so many ways work and alcohol are linked. This Alcohol Awareness Week, it’s time for us, and the places we work, to feel healthier, more productive and happier.”

It’s a timely reminder that addiction remains a significant and growing issue in UK workplaces. While alcohol is the focus of this week’s campaigning, the wider challenge includes a range of addictive behaviours, many of which are linked to work-related stress.

More than half of UK employees have experienced struggles with addiction, while nearly three-quarters of employers are concerned about addiction-related issues at work, new research suggests.

Addiction doesn’t always come with obvious signs. People don’t set out to become dependent – they often fall into it while trying to cope with stress.

"No one sets out to be an addict and the signs that someone is addicted to something are not always obvious," says Chris Britton, People Experience Director at Reward Gateway | Edenred.

"However, we do know that people typically end up in the cycle of addiction as a way of coping and instead of finding positive ways to let off steam, they fall into a spiral which is difficult to break."