Alasdair Hooper and Will Moulton host the first episode of our Mental Health Awareness Week series on addiction with Russell Pearce and Patrick Foster.
Addiction is a major problem in the UK and former Welsh boxer Russell, and former cricketer Patrick, know that better than most having suffered from alcohol and gambling addictions respectively.
To sum up the state of the problem, in the first nine months of 2020 deaths from alcohol hit record levels in England and Wales - 5460.
That is a 16.4% increase on the same period in 2019.
In July 2020, a House of Lords report titled 'Gambling Harm - Time for Action' found that half of adults in the UK gamble at least once a month.
A third of a million UK citizens are 'problem' or 'disordered' gamblers and it is estimated that for every problem gambler, six other people are harmed by the breakup of families, crime, losing jobs, losing homes or a death.
In this episode both Russell and Patrick will use their own experiences to help us understand some of the issues at play better.
They have incredibly powerful stories to tell but they both are also in a position where they can now help others - Russell currently helps recovering alcoholics with the charity
Kaleidoscope while Patrick is the Director of Educational Programmes at
EPIC Risk Management.
If you are struggling with your mental health here are some organisations who can help
Samaritans: Phone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email [email protected], in confidence
Childline: Phone 0800 1111. Calls are free and won't show up on your bill
PAPYRUS: A voluntary organisation supporting suicidal teens and young adults. Phone 0800 068 4141
Depression Alliance: A charity for people with depression.
Students Against Depression: A website for students who are depressed, have low mood, or are suicidal.
Bullying UK: A website for both children and adults affected by bullying.
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): For young men who are feeling unhappy. Helpline 0800 58 58 58
Image credits: With thanks to Russell Pearce and Patrick Foster
Music: Otis McDonald