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Types of addiction and getting support
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What are the lesser known addictions?
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Alcohol misuse
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How to stop social smoking
Explore how you can make a smoking quit list, to help you focus on all you have to gain from stopping smoking.
Early intervention works. Hear Harry Judd’s story.
Musician Harry Judd talks about recognising he had a problem with marijuana, and the steps he took to stop it from escalating.
Transcript
Who are you?
I'm Harry Judd, and I am first
and foremost, I'd say I'm a dad.
That'd be my most important job these days.
I'm a husband, I'm a drummer in a band,
and I also love to exercise.
I particularly love running, so I wouldn't
say I was a runner.
That makes me sound like maybe I think I'm an elite,
but it's definitely a big part of who I am.
What is your family life like today?
My family life.
Well, I can only imagine that.
Well, I can only hope that it's a bit like everyone else's.
Pretty noisy. It's very chaotic.
It's full of emotion, drama, love,
tears, difficult times
and magical times.
It's possibly the most challenging
experience I've had having children.
I've got three of them, and
I wouldn't have it any other way.
It's, it's a privilege to have three beautiful,
healthy children and I love it.
But I do moan my way through it as well at times,
because it is, yeah, it's very challenging.
But yeah, I'm very lucky.
What is the most challenging part of being a dad?
What are you most grateful for?
I'd say ultimately that my family are happy
and healthy and safe.
I feel very grateful that I have my mom and dad
and my brother and sister, and my wife and my children,
and a good set of friends.
I feel very grateful for that.
I feel grateful for my career as well.
I've been very lucky looking back, I think a lot
of advice I give to people is just about being in the right
place at the right time, but then making the most
of those opportunities.
And I feel I've done that,
but I feel grateful for having had the right people
around me in my career.
So yeah, I'm grateful for my family
and my friends.
How old were you when you joined McFly?
So I was 17.
I had just finished my first year of sick form
and I think it was 2003.
Do you still get nervous before performing?
I do get nervous before performing.
Not always, but most of the time.
And as everyone always says, it means you care.
So I think it's a good thing.
Yeah, I know Dougie gets nervous as well.
I know the other do too, but me
and Dougie often have that moment backstage
before a show of like, Ooh, it is a mixture
of nerves and excitement.
But so far, we're 21 years in and so far so good.
Nothing's gone too bad.
So there is finally, at some point along the way, a level
of confidence I think appeared.
But yeah, I still do get nervous.
Have you ever suffered with imposter syndrome?
What has been your past relationship with marijuana?
Not a good one.
I think my younger naive self,
in a way, it felt part of my identity
when you're 16, 17.
I mean, it sounds very cringe to say,
but it's like, it's like, yeah, yeah, I do.
Yeah, I smoke. You think it's cool?
It's like people are kind of impressed by it.
Oh, he's crazy. And
it was all tied into what I was into with music
and the way you dress, and it was just
part of kind of an identity.
And there was this whole kind of rhetoric around it, about,
oh, and it's chilled.
It's fine. It's not addictive. It's not like a hard drug.
It's fine. It's good for you and all that.
But I think I knew very early on, actually,
although I struggled to admit it to myself, that it soon
very quickly became a problem
and I was very reliant on it,
and it became a daily habit,
and it became frightening
because I didn't know how I would ever
get out of this habit.
I remember when I'd feel good about it, I'd think, Ooh,
all I need is that, and I'll be happy in life.
There was a time when someone close
to me was going through the same thing
and we said, let's go to this place we're going to,
and let's not take any,
because let's just go have fun without it.
Just like we used to a couple of years ago.
And we went there
and then within an hour we were back to London to go
and go get some.
So I think there's this misconception that it's not serious,
but for me it was.
And it was a real problem. Yeah.
I mean, couldn't really, couldn't sleep without it.
I mean, yeah, it was a problem,
and then it all kind
of came crashing down for me, really
in the worst possible way.
But that scenario ended up being an absolute blessing
because it was the reason why I then never went there again.
So.
What were the signs you were struggling with smoking marijuana?
I think just the fact that I couldn't get away from it.
It was just an everyday cycle.
It was more exciting than anything else I was doing,
and I knew that that was actually quite sad
that I wasn't just being present
and enjoying such an exciting time.
And also I needed it to sleep. I couldn't sleep without it.
Nothing really seemed that fun without it, everything.
I wanted to only listen to music if you're doing, it was
so tired in the mornings.
Just things like that that I knew weren't right.
But yeah, and also I was experiencing feelings of anxiety
and not really knowing what that was.
So yeah, there was definitely effects that were there.
How did you feel when you recognised you had a problem with smoking marijuana?
I think at first I was like, wow,
that happened quickly.
That dependency on it happened so quickly,
pretty much straight away.
I remember when I left home
and it's like, oh, I can smoke marijuana.
I live, live in a house, it's fine.
And then immediately it was like, oh,
I want to do this every day.
And then it became, I need to smoke every day.
I can't sleep without it. Nothing seems that fun without it.
And then as time went on, that became quite frightening
and you feel quite trapped
and like, oh, how am I going to get out of this?
And actually it feels like I can't see
how I would ever get out of this cycle.
So yeah, you feel it's quite daunting
because you're like, oh God.
So not only do you not think you can break that sort
of cycle yourself, but then you've also got the barrier
of having to tell someone.
And that feels like a huge barrier
and all the shame and all of that.
So it is quite overwhelming.
But I think I probably just didn't try and overthink that.
And it's fine. I'm fine, I'm fine.
When, yeah, I clearly wasn't so.
How was marijuana impacting your everyday life?
I was young, I was 17,
and that's often an age where you are trying things out
and it starts off kind of fun and exciting and innocent,
and then it kind of quickly became something that was
happening every day and was something that I was enjoying.
And I think looking back, sadly enjoying
that more than maybe the exciting things
that were happening in my life.
But I'd left school, I'd left home.
I was young to begin with.
It was all kind of exciting and rebellious.
Yeah. But it did kind of quickly become like,
oh, this is a problem.
What do I do? I'm a bit trapped.
But yeah, thankfully for me, I was lucky in
that it was a kind of short period in my life.
Yeah. But it was definitely very prevalent.
Did the pressures of being in the public eye impact your relationship with drugs and alcohol?
Not really.
No. I think I was more just concerned about people
finding out really.
That was my main fear,
I guess, in a way.
It kept me quite insular, quite away from all of that.
I just wanted to get home and be doing that.
So, no,
my biggest fear was it coming out in the press
and feeling shame and oh my God, that fear.
But no, I was lucky.
I was around good people, great band mates.
I still look back on that time in the band
of very fond memories as well.
So thankfully I wasn't feeling the pressure
of the kind of success and attention and fame and stuff,
and yeah.
How often would you use marijuana?
Every day.
Yeah. Unless we were touring abroad,
and so that would just be no sleep for me for
A week.
Yeah. So those were really
Difficult times.
But yeah, every day
How did you recognise you might have an unhealthy relationship with marijuana?
Well with the marijuana very early on
because I just couldn't grasp the concept
of having a day without it.
And yeah, I just so vividly remember that
the end of each day, having that first joint
and instantly just like all the worries
or the stress
or excitement of getting to that point would just disappear.
And so then you'd feel good,
and then you'd forget about the worries
of being stuck in that cycle.
But yeah, I spoke to
very close family member a lot about it.
And
you felt very trapped.
I had no idea of how I was going to get out of this cycle.
I knew it wasn't good. I was very frightened of the
potential mental health effects,
but at the time, I was okay.
And I was just in that sort of cycle, but scared
because I didn't know how I was going to get out of it.
Did marijuana have an impact on your mental health?
Definitely.
Absolutely. I remember the first time I
felt this feeling in my stomach
and I was like, what is this feeling?
I felt like I had a stomach bug,
but I didn't realise that it was anxiety
or paranoia or whatever you want to call it.
And taking the drugs would take that feeling away.
So that's that classic kind
of vicious cycle that you get into.
And it is since Think Been left a everlasting
impact with my mental health.
But I think that's possibly something I would've struggled
with regardless of whether I'd taken drugs or not.
Who knows? But it's given me a good
understanding of myself
and I think now the way I look at it,
it's like anything in life,
there's always going to be challenges.
There's always going to be highs and lows.
And through those experiences,
really positive things can come from them
and you can build strength.
So yes, it certainly had an impact on my mental health,
but you could argue that it's given me
stronger mental health because I've been made aware of it
and figured out how
to cope better with that and have the tools to deal
with the mental health.
What steps did you take once you realised marijuana was having a bad effect on you?
I was young, so I didn't know what to do.
And thankfully I had people in my life that were older
and had more life experience that knew what to do.
So they helped me to get help.
I had some talking therapy
and just support through those early stages, support
with the anxiety that I was experiencing.
And that was it. It was actually quite simple.
It was just opening up, asking for help
and getting support from amazing people out there
that specialise in helping people in those situations.
It was just a huge relief
and incredibly reassuring to know that everything was going
to be all right, and it was a very emotional experience
because part of the fear is that,
oh my God, what have I done?
Am I going to be okay? Have I completely messed up my life?
So the relief of being told by people
that specialise in it that, no, you're going to be fine.
You're going to be okay. So it was a huge, huge relief.
How important do you think it was for you to address the problem before it escalated any further?
Yeah, I mean, it was very important.
I mean, I don't know where it would've
or could have escalated to,
but it was very important At the time, I was
guess in a moment of crisis, I had to confront it.
But looking back now
and what I would say to myself prior to that,
or to anyone going through that actually,
although it felt like the scariest thing,
it was actually the best thing.
It was the most relieving thing.
It was literally the perfect metaphor is literally
just a huge weight off your shoulders, just like a release
of Oh, so freeing.
And yeah.
I'm so glad that I had the help around me
and did just say, okay, I need some help here.
I'm not good. So, yeah.
What made you want to give up drinking alcohol?
Do you know with alcohol, I started to get similar
symptoms that I was getting with smoking marijuana.
I was experiencing anxiety,
very extreme anxiety on hangovers and panic attacks.
People often talk about the hangover blues.
It was like that, but it was just tenfold. It was not fun.
It was awful. And anyone that's experienced that
knows how frightening that is.
So it was quite an easy decision, really.
I just thought, I don't want to feel like this anymore.
And that was that. I mean,
I tried a few more times drinking,
but the same thing kept happening,
and it was not easy
to accept that.
But there were two choices,
and I knew one was the obvious one.
And I mean, it's 14 years ago now, so
it was a no brainer.
Did you ever hide your struggles from other people?
I hid my struggles from my parents for sure,
because there's that feeling of shame, I think,
and not wanting to disappoint them.
And actually that was one thing my mom always used
to talk about was marijuana and don't smoke it.
She was a nurse. She said, I've seen so many people
who've had problems because of it.
And so there was that real fear factor around it.
And so I felt really
terrified of ever telling her.
And also partly not wanting to tell them
because then you have to actually confront the problem.
And sometimes you'd be like, I just don't want
to stick in this safe space,
which really is not safe at all.
But when I did finally talk to them, unsurprisingly,
I was just met with love and understanding and support.
And I think people I've spoken to in the past
or recently that have had struggles in
life, it's the same story.
It's that feeling of shame, the feeling of worry, of telling
often their loved ones,
but more often than not, you'll be met
with love and understanding.
So it's all good.
Did you have anyone in your life that supported you through your problem with smoking marijuana?
Yeah, I did.
And I think it was more at the times where I was,
it was like crescendoing when I was needing the help
and I am forever grateful for those people.
Hours and hours of conversations and reassurance
and yeah, literally spending
almost every waking moment with me, getting me through it.
And yeah, I'm very, very grateful to those people.
So there were always people out there to lend support.
So yeah, I would do the same for others.
So yeah, I'm very lucky at that.
Did you try to mask or hide the impact it was having on you?
Yeah, definitely.
There were times, particularly when my mom would kind
of confront me about it,
and I would very quickly shut it down.
Mom, mom, mom. No, it's fine, mom. It's fine, mum. I'm fine.
That's definitely a memory I have,
and if people ever talked about it,
it'd be like, oh no, it's fine.
It's all good. I think that's very normal though, isn't it,
for any problems you have in life,
but yeah, it's all part of it.
Did being in the public eye limit taking action sooner?
No, I don't think so.
I think one thing I've always been very grateful
for is the people around me.
My bandmates are the wider team of what we do.
Always, I think, been very grounded.
And so obviously some decisions in life you have
to consider the fact that you are in the public eye.
But with this one, it's just a normal human story.
It's just something that lots of people go through.
So I mean, maybe I went and got help in certain places.
It was maybe kept quiet and private,
but it didn't really ever cross my mind.
It's just a normal person going through
problems that lots of people go through.
So I'm no different.
And so it doesn't really come into my thought process.
What was the impact of your smoking habits on your family?
I think, well, I know my mom was aware.
I don't think my dad knew what to make of it.
I think my mom was pretty scared of
the potential repercussions.
But talking about all of this, the main thing I go back
to is how lucky I feel to have gotten out
of this situation at such a young age.
If I hadn't of the thought of
what could have been would've been is, it's
it not a nice thought.
So thankfully I was able to
break through that and tell my parents at a young age.
And as I said, I was just met with support.
I mean, my mom was emotional because I think
because of all her fears were becoming a reality.
But I was okay and I was getting the help
and I was okay.
And I think it was emotional, but it was a relief.
And again, I think something I think my mom would
just be proud of.
I mean, my mom's proud of anything I do,
but it's all part of my story.
I didn't maybe want it to be that.
But then maybe it was important that it was, that.
The fact is in life you are going to have challenges
and sometimes they're challenges
that you couldn't have predicted
and you have to go through them
and it cliches.
But you have to sometimes go down to be able
to build back up stronger.
So yeah, in a way it's an experience
that brings you closer together as a family.
What advice would you give to anyone who might be going through something similar?
I know that it might feel like
very comfortable to stay in the situation you're in,
but it will soon will start to feel uncomfortable.
And I think I would just say don't be afraid
to open up and talk to someone.
People are more empathetic than you think,
and I've felt that through my experiences in life that human
instinct is to help others.
So don't be afraid to show vulnerability and ask for help,
because from my experience, there's
always people there to help.
So although you may feel it, there is no shame.
It's actually takes a lot of courage to do that
and confront your problems in life.
And again, it's why there's cliches.
You have to go through the stormy weather
to come out and for the sun to come out.
You have to go through the lows in life to be able
to experience the highs.
It's all part of it. And yeah, it'll only make you stronger.
How important has prioritising exercise and wellbeing been on you?
Exercise and wellbeing has been huge for me.
I mean, I feel lucky because I enjoy it.
I've always enjoyed it,
and that kind of period of my life between 17
and maybe 20, I lost that about myself.
And so reconnecting with previous
passions was huge for me.
But new forms of exercise as well.
I just got into keeping fit and running
and I couldn't believe how much of a hole that filled
for me and how important that became for me,
just in general in life.
Outside of family and career.
People talk about the important pillars in life,
and exercise is such an important one for me
that's now become part of my identity.
People wonder why people get so obsessed with these things,
but I think it's the simplicity of it.
It's the simplicity of just getting out, being outside,
challenging yourself, pushing your boundaries,
and yeah, I love it.
And yeah, that's just me now. Yeah.
How do you look after your mental health today?
The key things for me in my mental health,
I'd say number one is sleep.
Good sleep. And that could be aided in several ways.
One of them being eating well, exercise
that all aids sleep.
So it's kind of like chicken and egg to get the good sleep,
which I think is one of the most important
things you need to be doing.
Other things. So they're all very important.
Running is a massive thing for me.
It just takes me out of myself, gets me away from screens
and people and stresses
and just the motion of running
and also the challenge of running.
I love setting myself a challenge
and having a goal that gives me a really clear focus
and I feel I really need that in life.
Otherwise I can just veer off
and I dunno, maybe not feel as happy.
It's something that just really makes me happy.
I've got that thing in me that needs a bit
of competition, a bit of challenge.
Also focusing on my family and my children
and seeing friends is definitely a big thing for me.
In fact, only recently I was having a bit of a bad day
and feeling anxious and not feeling good.
And you think that you want to just go into yourself
and be quiet and be left alone.
And a friend was coming to see me
and I was thinking, oh, just not in the mood.
And then it was so great to see him
and we just had a real laugh and talked
and I immediate was like, oh, I feel so much better.
So yeah, sleep, exercise,
family and friendship, I guess.
Oh, and I love my McFly boys. McFly makes me happy.
How did you redefine your identity after stopping smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol?
Yeah, that was quite strange transition actually,
and something that happened over time.
I mean, I got into exercising and I absolutely loved that.
I think I reconnected with who I was as a teenager
or even younger when I first started at school.
I loved being active, I loved sport,
and so I reconnected with sport and being active,
and I got so much joy from that.
And it was difficult at first.
14 years ago, I was 25.
Being sober at 25, you get a lot of questions
and people being like, really?
Why don't you drink? And yeah, I often didn't want to have
to go into the full story of why,
but I felt kind of comfortable with it.
And I noticed people's curiosity as well.
I think there's a lot of people that kind
of maybe wish they didn't, and so I would try
and put a positive spin on it
and encourage people to kind of try it.
And yeah, I think that's when really you realise at
that age you, you're still growing as a person.
You're still figuring out who you are.
And then for me, I was figuring out
who I was without all that stuff.
So yeah, I'm active, I'm competitive. I like a challenge.
And thankfully a lot of the negative things about me
that led me down that earlier path in life
I can use in a really positive way in my career.
And other challenges I like to do. So yeah.
What do you think the catalyst was for getting to a better place?
The catalyst would've just been asking for help
and leaning on people
and the professionals as well.
Amazing people out there that have jobs
that help people in difficult situations.
And that, for me, was amazing.
And although it was a very difficult time
looking back, it wasn't a long time.
It was a very short time in my life, in fact.
And yeah,
I can remember now just quickly moving on
and moving on to a much happier place.
So, yeah.
What impact has stopping smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol had on you?
I make just better decisions.
I think it's, well, one of the main impacts
as well was just the making of my relationship
with my now wife.
Also, just the life choices I make in terms of keeping fit
and looking after wellbeing,
and hopefully I can be a good example to my children.
I enjoy what I do more as well.
Being on tour and performing is
a lot more enjoyable when you're not drinking
and what have you, because you just sleep better.
You're more focused, you enjoy what you do,
take it more seriously.
You can be more professional.
I say professional, we're always having fun,
but yeah, my mood is improved.
Just, yeah, generally it's a
lot more calm, a lot more enjoyable.
Would you change anything from your experience?
I wouldn't change anything from my experience.
I feel strangely that
the most difficult time I had when I was 19, which felt like
the worst thing ever, I felt I'm going through hell here.
Like this is awful. As someone described it to me
as a blessing in disguise, and I was like, are you mad?
No. Part of this is a blessing, but it was a huge blessing
because it meant that I, from that point on,
never did drugs again, eventually led me
to stop drinking alcohol.
And yeah, it was an extreme acute,
acutely difficult period,
but through that difficult period, it led to
so many positive things in my life.
So I don't think regret is a,
well, you can't look back on your past
and wish that you changed things.
There's nothing you can do about it.
You can only move forward from it and try
and take some positives from your hard experiences.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Worried about your drinking?
We all have a different relationship with alcohol. You might enjoy an occasional drink, or maybe you re drinking more than you'd like.
If you're worried about your relationship with alcohol, you're not alone. More than 310,000 adults sought help for alcohol or drugs in England alone between April 2023 and March 2024.*
Stephen Costin struggled with alcohol addiction, but in 2022, facing the loss of his family and job, he entered rehab. In this video, he shares his journey - from realising he had a problem to getting the help he needed to recover.
I've always known I drank too much, but it's a case of justifying it.
And I always have an excuse.
There's always some reason for why I had to have a drink.
So, you know, my mom's not well,.
I’ll have a drink.
Having a bad day that work?
I've have a drink.
It's just excuses at the end of the day.
And it was just justifying it to myself really.
So, yeah, I'd say the thought of losing absolutely everything.
You know, my little boy, my girlfriend was probably, was the reason, that I had to pack it in.
There's an illness behind this.
There’s a reason that you're the way you are, do you know.
People don't get up in the morning, drink a bottle of wine.
It was proper rock bottom at that stage.
It was kind of even I knew that I was thinking, actually, this, this is it now.
I was having bits of panic attacks when I wasn't drinking days, just just blending into one.
I had no idea of what was going on, no concept of what day it was, and somehow managing to bundle my way through work as a functioning alcoholic would do I suppose?
There's no joy in it at all.
There's nothing at all.
People.
My close friends.
I went quiet on WhatsApp.
I went quiet on on anything whatsoever, any social media platforms.
I just didn't want any interaction.
And mainly because I knew in my own mind that I looked a mess and I was a mess.
So it come to a head, you just, Catie came around and just said, listen, you, you're going to A&E.
Luckily enough, one of the cousins worked at, Prestwich hospital, which is a mental hospital near where we live.
So she said, you need to take him down to A&E.
They’ll admit him overnight and after they admit him overnight, they’ll move him to an NHS hospital.
.
.
Prestwich for a week for a detox.
So I went to.
I went to the hospital.
And again devious alcoholic you are, I'm sat in hospital with Catie where I think she's going to have to go at 4:00 because she got to go and pick my son up from school.
She'll go at 4:00 I can just go out the back door, gulf a couple pints and kind of wing my way through getting out of it.
And then at 4:00, one of my best mates turned up, so she'd been speaking to him.
He's like, you're not going anywhere.
And I remember just being sat on a ward in A&E.
And obviously I'm getting massive withdrawals and they weren’t do anything for me at that stage.
I don't know why, because again, I can't remember.
I remember just crying to him, going, listen, there’s a pub down the road You know, we’ll go for two pints and I promise you I promise you we’ll come straight back once I’ve had two beers will come back.
And he was like, no.
And he's like, you're killing me, mate.
Stop it.
And, just remember being sat in this ward, it was all blood on the floor in A&E, I was just thinking, how on earth have I got myself in this absolute pickle.
Private ambulance turns up.
And then just take you there, and you get checked into this NHS facility that, I trying to explain it.
It's kind of a place you go to have a seven day detox.
By this stage, I was still shaking a lot.
So I was on medication in there a lot.
Did seven days in that, in there it was really weird.
It was.
You weren't made to do any therapy.
You didn't have to do.
It was all.
It was all like, do you want to do this course?
Well, no, don't do it then.
This is the last chance.
And this was if you didn't want it now it was gone.
And I had a lot of responsibilities, I had a I had a young boy.
So yeah I just at that stage I was like listen I’ve done the hard bit, which you say I've got a drink problem, that God knows how many years I've lied about that.
To start with, and that probably, somebody, weirdly enough somebody asked me the other day when I was round some someones house what’s the hardest thing about what you’ve been through?
I said, admitting that I had a drinking problem that's the hardest.
Yeah.
So so I, I did a week in there and luckily enough again, my girlfriend Catie had been doing a load of work behind the scenes to get me into The Priory in Altrincham, and then obviously I did 28 days in inpatient in there.
So I remember vividly packing my swimming shorts and you know and my girlfriend going, what are you doing?
You’re going to a mental hospital and well yeah, there’s going to be a pool oh surely.
And she’s like, what do you mean there’s going to be a pool?
You're going to get better.
So I think there’s this stigma.
It's great.
Great.
And all all stars go and it's it's a bit of a jolly of 28 days.
You get fed well you have a bit.
It's nothing like that.
It is absolutely intense and I mean intense.
So I were in ten days, I was sober, I was going to go place.
I just said goodbye to my girlfriend, said goodbye to my little boy.
And then I was like, right so yeah, I'm going to smash this.
I'm going to absolutely.
.
.
So you'd have your therapy sessions.
And then there was one where you had to write down what I had done to everybody.
So none of this typing on a laptop, they made you write it because it means more, and it makes you think more when you're writing it down.
So you call it my story.
So I had to write what I'd done, and obviously there lots of gaps because I've been drunk for half of it and I don't remember a lot of it.
People who I'd known for maybe 2 or 3 days were like that letter doesn't sound like you.
And I'm like, that was me.
And I was a horrible person.
I was horrible and a drunk.
I was really nasty drunk about snide, nasty drunk.
You know, I'd say horrible things to people, no reason.
Just because that's the way it made me.
It just made me horrible.
So what they do is they get you down as low as you can go by this stage.
I'm.
I'm on the floor.
I'm like, oh my God, I've ruined everything.
And then they build you up after that and you need to have a bit of self-care and respect yourself a little bit more.
And when you have that self-care don't, then you start appreciating other people a little bit more and there's a massive stigma attached to to alcohol, alcoholics and being labelled alcoholic and alcoholic, everyone goes, oh, park bench, brown bag, tramp.
That's what everyone.
.
.
There’s certain amount of people there that hold down good jobs.
I held down a good job, but when I was a functioning alcoholic.
There's a lot of people.
And in there they were saying, what are you going to tell everyone when you get out?
And I was like, what do you mean?
Everyone knows I'm in here.
I'm not, I'm not.
Shied away from any of it.
My responsibilities mine.
And I got no problem with telling people.
So all the people going, so just say you go to the pub and you don’t have a drink.
What's someone going to say to you?
I'll just say, I've got a problem with drinking.
I don't drink anymore.
That's that's my business.
And if you don't like it, don't stand with me.
Don't ask me.
And it's entirely down to me.
It's not a case of right.
I've.
I've now done two years, two years and about three months.
I'm not okay now.
I just can’t go.
All right.
Great.
And stop thinking about it because it's it's a constant one.
It's a constant journey.
I need to keep practising.
I need to keep keep myself going and keep myself busy.
And I do things now that I would have never done in the past, ever.
Not a dream.
I I'm a big man city fan.
I would have never took Seb my lad to the football.
Because that would seriously interrupted my drinking on a Saturday.
Now, I'll take him to football whenever I can do.
I used to do things that I thought he liked.
He didn't like the things I liked.
So let's go to the Queen Anne, it's got a play area.
It's rubbish.
He had no no enjoyment, but to me I'm doing something good for my son.
But I can have a drink at the same time and everything related around me beingin a pub.
Life’s, life’s good, and listen I'm not one of these who’s going to go, oh, stop drinking and everything goes brilliant, and it's the best life in the world.
Life’s still hard though I still have times when I'm like, this is tough.
I did a couple of weeks ago and it wasn't that I wanted to drink again.
I just found it hard, I had no motivation to see anyone.
I didn't want to go out, I just didn’t.
My mates went right we’re going to play snooker.
No, I’m alright.
And even even my girlfriend’s going, you need to go out.
She can see it obviously in me straight away.
I had no motivation but I’m over that now.
So I'm going to go through ups and downs and that's, it's about making sure when I'm at the downs that I don't turn to the way that I used to be.
Your look doesn't change.
You're in more of a capable space to deal with what comes at you.
So it feels like your looks changed.
So I've done stuff now and I’m like Oh, God.
That's good.
I'm having good news.
So good news about my job, or good news about the baby.
That’s not because the heavens have gone oh he’s stopped drinking.
Let's let's.
.
.
That’ because I've got my head in gear and I need to do something.
So, yeah.
Isn't all about if you stop drinking, life becomes brilliant.
It doesn't work like that.
And nobody should think that, But it's about you're in a better place yourself to deal with what you need to deal with and what you want to speak about.
And.
And then the good things happen and good things happen to good people.
Need help now?
Addiction and mental health go hand in hand. It's important to recognise one, so that you can treat the other.
Urgent help
For urgent advice, call 111 and and select the mental health option.
If your or someone else’s life is at risk, you should call 999 or go to your nearest A&E.
Free listening service
Text ‘shout’ to 85258 for get free, confidential text messaging support from Shout. Available 24/7.
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Mind
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The Mental Health Foundation
The Mental Health Foundation provides free resources for protecting and improving your mental health.
Mental health and addiction
Hear from Dr Naveen Puri about mental health and addiction and the support available on the road to recovery.
Transcript
Who are you?
Hello, I'm Dr. Naveen
I'm a medical director at Bupa
and a GP by background.
I enjoy travel and discovering new cultures.
What is your experience of mental health and addiction?
I've been a doctor for 20 years now,
and I've had the real privilege of coming into contact
with people who are affected by mental health issues
with addiction, and sometimes with both.
During my training as a GP, I also worked
with the community mental health team, where I worked
with people who were specifically affected by addictions
and severe mental health problems.
And so I come at this with an element of experience on
that basis.
Can you be diagnosed with addiction and a mental health condition at the same time?
It is certainly the case that you could be affected by
therefore diagnosed with an addiction
and a mental health condition at the same time.
But it's also important to recognise that just
because you have an addiction doesn't mean you've got poor
mental health in the background to that.
And similarly, if you've got poor mental health does not
mean you will necessarily be affected by an addiction.
So while they can be linked,
sometimes they can also be separate, too.
And it's important that we recognise there's not always
that commonality there.
If you have a diagnosed mental health condition are you more likely to be addicted to substances?
The simple answer is no.
I think if you've got a diagnosis
of a mental health condition,
it doesn't mean you're more likely to be addicted
or diagnosed with an addiction to drugs, alcohol,
or any other substance as well.
Sometimes these things can be linked,
but I'm really keen that we remove any stigma
and that we don't necessarily consider that people
that have mental health conditions will go on
to have addictions alongside them.
What are some signs that your mental health might be affected by if you have an addiction?
We find that addiction can affect people's mental health
in a number of different ways,
and I think for each individual
that would be very, very different.
You'll have a sense of what's normal for you, so you'll know
how well you sleep, how well you feel when you socialise
or in crowds of people, how well you manage day-to-day
activities and functions that you have to perform.
And if you find that suddenly you are not able
to do those things in the way you normally would.
That for me would be a telltale sign
that you may be affected by addiction
or the mental health consequences
that might come with addiction as well.
So if you're sleeping more
or less than normal, if you are less
or more social than you would be if you're less
or more able to perform the task you would do day to day,
that can sometimes be a sign that things are not quite right
and may prompt you to then seek out support for that
as well.
How do I know if I'm displaying addicted behaviours?
It is a tough one, isn't it?
Because there's a spectrum from being much more compelled
to do something which might not be addictive right through
to this other side of the spectrum,
which could be addiction.
And I think for me, the difference is when you have control
over that compulsion, that might be the telltale sign.
So if, for example, you really like a particular brand
of drink and want to have that drink on a regular basis,
but if it wasn't available, you wouldn't be too affected by
that and might have an alternative drink, then
that's probably you just having a preference
and a compulsion towards one kind of drink,
but not necessarily being addicted
on the other side of the fence.
Then if you're looking at addiction, it can be the fact
that you cannot think about anything else.
You have to have that drink at all costs.
You might want to have that drink when it's not appropriate
to, so drinking in the day
or in the morning or things like that.
So I think the difference between having a preference
and a compulsion is different to an addiction in
that you may not have a sense of control over it.
And if you feel you haven't got control or a losing control,
or maybe people around you have commented on your lack
of control around that, that might be a sign for you
to consider.
How do I know if I'm addicted to alcohol?
When it comes to addiction, one of the key features is
that there's a lack of control over your
desire to want to have something.
And so when it comes to alcohol as an example,
you might find that you're not necessarily able
to control your need and compulsion to want to have alcohol.
The difference would be with somebody
who just likes drinking, and so you could say no to a drink
or you might recognise you've had too much to drink,
but with an addiction you might not have those
safety checks in place.
So you might find you're drinking
more than you normally would.
You might find you're drinking at times you wouldn't
normally drink, such as during the day
or even first thing in the morning.
On waking, you might find people
around you are suddenly commenting on
how much you're drinking as well.
So those could be some of the telltale signs
that you might have an issue with alcohol.
Another one to say,
and this might be when you are more affected
by an addiction potentially, is
that you might find you've got physical effects
unless you have another drink.
You're suddenly starting to experience withdrawal
or physical symptoms
and signs that give you a sense
that actually your body now needs alcohol more than it did
before when perhaps you weren't addicted as well.
How do I know if I'm addicted to gambling?
Gambling as a behaviour is something you should generally
have a sense of control over.
So you might find that when you are not addicted
to gambling, you are able to know when you need to stop
spending more or taking part in games
that might put you at harm
by having you spend more than you might do,
or go over your set limit for yourself.
When you are addicted,
suddenly, those safety checks
and balances are no longer in place,
or you might be aware of them,
but still choose to ignore them and just go ahead
and gamble more and spend more
and suffer the adverse consequences
that could come from gambling as a consequence.
So my steer would be that if you've got a lack of control
and you're not able to stop yourself gambling
or spending on all the other things that come
with the gambling, that might be an indication
that you could be addicted.
How do I know if I'm addicted to drugs?
When it comes to an addiction, we know that there's a lack
of control over your ability to seek out the substance
and use the substance that you are potentially addicted to.
So in the case of drugs, it may be
that you are using drugs more than you would do normally
or at levels that might be considered unsafe by yourself
or those around you who maybe take drugs as well.
I'd also consider that sometimes with drugs,
there's the element of spending on them as well,
and you might find your spending
beyond your means on the drugs that you're using as well,
and that could be a sign that you are
potentially addicted to.
Other signs could be the physical effects of the drugs.
You may use drugs to experience pleasurable feelings,
but actually, if you're going beyond that
and actually causing yourself harm
or experiencing pleasurable feelings, then actually
that could be a sign of addiction as well.
So you'll know if you've used drugs
before, what normal,
if I can call it that feels like for you.
And if it's anything beyond that, you're spending more,
it's causing you physical ill harm
or even psychological ill harm,
that could be a sign you're addicted.
Is there a link between depression and addiction?
We know that having a mental health condition can
sometimes be associated with an addiction,
but it's also important to recognise
that these things are not always linked.
And so just because you may have depression
or be affected by depression doesn't mean you will
necessarily go to have an addiction and vice versa.
Just because you have an addiction doesn't mean you will
necessarily be depressed.
So there can be a link sometimes,
but that's not always the case.
In my clinical practise, I have seen some people
who are affected by both,
but I've also seen people who have one or other
and are not affected by the other one as well.
So let's not make the assumption
or the link that these things
necessarily happen in combination.
Is there a link between anxiety and addiction?
I think it's important to recognise
that anxiety is not just a clinical diagnosis,
which you can be given by a doctor.
It's also a symptom that any one
of us can experience day-to-day as well.
So when we ask the question, is there a linkage
between anxiety and addiction, my answer would be twofold.
The first is that if you are affected by an addiction,
you may well experience anxiety from time to time,
but it doesn't mean you've necessarily got clinical anxiety.
And I'm really keen that we don't necessarily link anxiety
and addiction because sometimes you could have anxiety
and not be affected by addiction,
and you could also have an addiction
and not be affected by anxiety.
But as I say, anxiety is a symptom which anyone can
experience at any time, can sometimes be
associated with addiction.
And so that's the link I would want
to make rather than linking the two things in a more
permanent way.
Does having one type of addiction mean that I could be prone to others?
That's a really interesting question.
So let me be really honest with you.
I have found that in my clinical practise when I've come
across somebody who did have an addiction, when we've worked
to overcome that and have them come out the other side of
that particular addiction,
because their brain has been wired in a way that has allowed
for that addiction to occur, it is the case
that sometimes they have found themselves either leaning
towards or developing another addiction as well.
So that's not to alarm you or to scare you,
but it is to recognise that if your brain is the kind
of brain that has allowed for one addiction to occur,
it is something you have to be vigilant
for other addictions that may take its place.
It could be a substance, it could be a process.
And so by substance I mean things like drugs or alcohol or smoking,
and by process I mean things like gambling,
using pornography, those sorts of things.
If you've had one, it is the case
that you could develop others.
It doesn't mean you will, but it's just something you have
to be aware of and be vigilant for in the future.
Is there a link between childhood mental health challenges and addiction in later life?
The first thing I'd seek to say is
that while you may have had childhood mental health issues,
doesn't mean you will necessarily go into development
addictions later in life.
And so I want to be clear
that there's not always a link between these things.
But if we look at that further,
one thing which can happen when you are affected
by childhood mental health issues is that as a child,
you will develop certain coping and mechanisms
and behaviours that help you navigate those challenges when
you are a child and while they work for you,
when you're a young person or a child, in that moment
and during that time, they may not necessarily serve you
as well when you are a grownup
and other issues, pressures life set in for you.
So an example of that might be that
as a child you are particularly pleasing and compliant
and quiet and withdrawn to please the adults
and the caregivers around you.
And then when you are an adult, if you similarly seek to be
that kind of a person, but seek out substances
that you might become addicted to
or behaviours that you might become addicted to as a source
of comfort to mitigate for that,
that can be something which could be problematic.
But as I said at the start, just
because you've had childhood mental health challenges
doesn't mean you will go on to develop an addiction.
But sometimes there are patterns
that can develop in childhood that serve you then,
but don't serve you as well when you're a grownup.
And a consequence of that may potentially be an addiction,
but not always.
How can you look after your mental health if you’re affected by addiction?
The first thing I'd say is it's a tough one, isn't it?
In my experience dealing with people who have had addictions
or have had mental health issues,
or indeed have had both in combination,
it can be really challenging to assign the mental strength
to look after yourself when you're really struggling
with day-to-day, things that you have to contend with.
So the first thing I would say is be really kind
and recognise that when you are affected
by a mental health condition, an addiction,
or perhaps even both at the same time, it takes a lot
of energy and effort to just do things
on a day-to-day basis.
I would advise seeking out support
and help from either those and nearest
and dearest to you, family, friends,
even colleagues if you're able to.
And also reaching out
to a mental health professional or a doctor as well.
There is lots that can be done for you and offered to you,
but unless you make that first move to seek out support,
it can be difficult to offer that to you as well.
Another thing I'd flag is that as somebody
who may be affected by addiction,
you probably have developed an ability to really mask that
and hide that from other people.
And so it could be the case that while people
around you are generally quite helpful
and will want the best for you, they may just have no idea
that you are currently affected by an addiction.
And so for you to sort of open that door
and say, actually, I am struggling
and this is going on for me, could be the first sign
or the first step that's required rather, for them
to be able to intervene and help you.
So I wish you well having that first conversation
and let people in because they're there to help.
How can someone open up a conversation if they're affected by addiction?
The first thing I'd say,
I recognise it's really, really tough.
So to have that conversation is perhaps
the last thing you want to do.
But let me explain why I think it could be really
beneficial for you as well.
So first of all, let's consider
that you have probably got lots
of negative things on your shoulders, like a sense of guilt,
a sense of shame, a sense
that you've let people down, a sense that
how could this have happened to me
and how could it have got to the stage it has got
to without me having sought help sooner.
And I want you to be really kind to yourself
and put that to a side, because
that really isn't going to help you.
And that's very easy for me to say
as a doctor sitting here in a chair
and giving you advice behind a screen.
But honestly, I think removing
that pressure from yourself will be the key
to you being able to seek out
support and have a conversation.
The second thing I'd say is that when you are affected
by an addiction, I recognise that people
who have addictions are really good at hiding their
addiction and doing something what we call masking,
which is hiding behind a persona
or a presentation of themselves
that doesn't let the world know that they're affected
by their addiction as well.
And so that makes it even more difficult, doesn't it?
Because then no one around you even suspect you're going
to have a conversation of the kind that you want to start.
So recognise the mask is in place.
Maybe let that mask down, remove all that pressure
that's on your shoulders, and have that first conversation
with somebody because people are always keen to help.
Just think how you would feel if somebody came
to you disclosing their addiction
and how much you would want to help them.
And recognise that there are people around you
and you'll know who they are, who will want
to help you back as well.
So I wish you well with it.
I know it's not going to be easy, but please have
that first conversation with someone you can trust.
And I promise you that's the start
of a very important conversation to be had.
What support can someone with an addictive behaviour get?
The good news is there is a lot of support available
to you, but you have to seek out that support
and access it to benefit from it, is what I would say.
So from my perspective, the first thing is having
that first conversation can be really difficult.
Why not try having good people around you, maybe a friend,
a family member, a colleague, someone you can trust
and have that first initial conversation with.
If you find you can't necessarily do that,
or once you've done that
and you want to seek out further support,
I definitely recommend speaking to a medical professional,
be that your doctor, a mental health professional, anyone
that you consider could be of use
to you do consider reaching out as well.
Sometimes it's really difficult having that conversation
because for you, it's the most pressing
and most all consuming thing in your mind.
But let me reassure you that as a doctor on the other side
of the fence where I'm having those conversations
with people on a regular basis, actually,
it's a conversation I have on a frequent day-to-day level,
and it feels very comfortable and very familiar to me,
and it's really reassuring to me
and quite humbling to me when somebody comes to me
with a conversation of that nature,
because I know how much help is available to them
and how much better they're going to feel by virtue
of having had that conversation.
But it does take you to have that first conversation
and to make that first step to benefit from it.
So in summary, I would say to reach out to somebody,
whether it's someone you can trust, a family member,
a friend, a colleague,
or you want to see a medical professional.
But I promise you, you'll never regret making
that first move.
What do workplace need to know about mental health and addiction?
I'd say two things to this.
The first is to recognise
that we know people spend a very significant part
of their time at work, and so it is the case
that work can impact their mental health
and consequences from that,
which may include addiction as well.
So for a workplace to recognise
that your employees are spending lots of their time
with you in the confines of your workplace
and your organisation, and that you have a responsibility
therefore for their mental health
is really, really important.
The other side of it is
that any impact on their mental health be that addiction
or other things can also impact then
what they do at work as well.
Their productivity, their outputs, how they represent you,
how they show up for meetings
and with clients and things of that nature.
So to recognise that your people spend lots of time at work
and therefore you have an element of responsibility
for their wellbeing is number one
and number two, by addressing that responsibility,
you're then able to make sure you get the best out
of your people at work as well.
Why is workplace support for mental health and addiction important?
I think it's really important for you as a manager
or as an employer to recognise that your people spend a lot
of their time at work, significant
parts of their life, in fact.
And so if they are affected by a mental health condition,
an addiction, or possibly even both, it's going
to impact them at work as well.
So it's in your interest as well as your employee's interest
with this to be addressed and to provide support for that.
The great news is at Bupa, we have manager guides
that are available to anyone, whether you are a Bupa member
or not, and we'll provide a link to that with this video.
And there are also what we call our bite-size academy videos
on our YouTube channel too, which cover a whole host
of topics from addiction
and other things like menopause
disability in the workplace too.
So feel free to make use of these,
and I wish you were accessing them.
I am worried about a colleague who might affected by addiction, how can I approach this?
Well, the first thing I would say is well done you
for recognise that a colleague may well be affected
by an addiction because it's not easy to spot these things.
And actually we're also busy
with our day-to-day lives like quite often we haven't got
time to scan around us
and see what other people are
dealing with or contending with.
What I would say is follow your instincts
and think about how you might want to have the conversation
with the person you are concerned by.
If you're concerned for them,
you'll probably know them enough to know
what would be a good approach for that conversation
that you want to have with them.
And remember, the conversation hasn't got to be a one done
and dusted conversation where you have the conversation in
its entirety, but it can be something
you do in several stages.
So maybe you express a level of concern to them
over a few days or weeks.
How are things going for you?
I noticed you haven't been on time for meetings recently.
I noticed you're not as well
groomed as you might normally be.
Whatever the change is, maybe just highlight that for them
and mirror back them that you have noticed it,
but also make clear that you're noticing it from a place
of concern rather than a place of judgement .
It might also then be useful to set a time
for a conversation with that person.
Maybe you want to schedule a walk
or a conversation in some way private in your offices.
You'll know a good place to have the conversation
and want that other person will feel comfortable with
and so maybe set that in motion as well.
And by setting aside some time, it gives
that person the opportunity to consider that you want
to have a conversation about their wellbeing.
It may also triggers them to the fact that you want
to have a conversation about a potential addiction as well.
And so that gives them time to prepare what they might want
to share with you or say to you as well.
The last thing I'd say is that having had the conversation,
having provided that level of support to them,
maybe arm yourself with some information around
what can be done for that person moving forward.
Because invariably the conversation will
have a natural next step.
Is it that you signpost them to your HR department
or HR resources at work?
Is it that you highlight that someone in the organisation
who is more senior could be of support or help to them?
Maybe having your mind a sense of
what you will tell your colleague
to do next once they've had the conversation with you.
I wish you well with it. It's not an easy thing to spot,
but well done you for considering this
and let's hope it's of help to the person that you want
to be of support to.
What are the benefits of early intervention around addiction?
When it comes to addiction, we know that it takes time
for addictive patterns and behaviours to develop,
and so if you recognise the early signs or patterns
and intervene sooner, rather than land them
to become much more entrenched,
it can sometimes be a bit more straightforward.
That's not to say that there's a wrong time to intervene
with an addiction if at any time you recognise it
or have a concern around it,
I would recommend seeking out support, be that from people
around you, friends, family, colleagues, or from medical
and healthcare professionals.
There's never a wrong time,
but the good thing is that if you intervene earlier,
sometimes it can be a bit more straightforward
to break those patterns that might become entrenched
and be more difficult to undo later in time.
What therapy options that are available for addiction?
There are a range of therapeutic options
or therapy options that are available for somebody
who may be affected by addiction.
And this is true of people who have mental
health conditions as well.
And the good news is there isn't a one size fits all,
so you haven't got to necessarily know what kind
of therapeutic intervention to ask for
or to seek out from a professional.
Rather, when you meet with the person who is determining
what is best for you, they will consider the best approach
for your particular situation or your particular addiction.
Sometimes it's a combination of therapies,
sometimes it's one kind of therapy in isolation,
and sometimes it's the case that you have one kind
of therapy and then have others in the future
to build on that. Another thing to say is
that within the addiction space there are
what we call 12 step groups.
So you may have heard of things like Alcoholics Anonymous,
Overeaters Anonymous, and things of that nature.
And while those can be really, really helpful,
that isn't the only solution available to people
who may be affected by addiction.
They work for some, they don't work for others.
And so you may be offered those as any number
of options on a menu for you,
but those aren't the only option available to you.
What reassurance can you offer someone who is affected by addiction?
I feel really strongly having come across many people in
my time as a doctor who have addiction,
that it is something which we
shouldn't apply a judgement to.
And I certainly don't want people to be judging themselves
or be giving themselves a hard time
because they are affected by an addiction as well.
It is the case that when you've got an addiction,
it's often developed out of a need of some kind.
So sometimes there may have been lots of stress,
or there may have been a history of trauma
where you've sought out something which
provided you with an instant level of comfort
or escape from whatever you were seeking comfort from.
And in that moment, it served you
for the purpose it was intended.
But somewhere along the line, your brain decided to utilise
that behaviour, that substance,
that process a bit more regularly
and frequently to the extent
where you are now, potentially, if you are affected
by addiction, where it's now out of your control.
And the reassurance, the pleasure, the comfort it
provided you previously is not no longer the case.
So I want you to be really kind to yourself.
Addictions don't just come from nowhere.
They are often rooted in something which is supposed to be
of help to you and something which is supposed
to soothe you, but somewhere along the line
that becomes dysfunctional
and leads to an addiction, which
as we know can potentially be harmful.
And I hope that by being kind to yourself
and recognising that this is not your fault,
this is not something you've done wrong, you are not broken,
that you can seek out the support you need,
you can absolutely overcome addiction.
I've seen many people come out the other side
infinitely better than they were when they started.
There is hope, and I wish you well on the journey.
Who can be prone to addiction?
We know that addiction can affect anyone,
and perhaps it'll be helpful
to give you an insight from my very privileged position
as a doctor where I get to see people at some
of the most vulnerable times in their lives.
I have patients from all backgrounds of all ages,
from all parts of the country, in fact, who are affected
by addiction, whether
that's an addiction in the moment in time that I see them,
or whether they're in recovery
and abstinence from addiction as well.
By abstinence and recovery, what I mean is
that addiction doesn't just suddenly go away.
It's something you have to constantly work upon to maintain
an abstinence or an abstinence from.
We know, for example, that there are many people in society
who have to take a medication who were historically addicted
to or had a dependency on heroin.
The medication is called methadone.
It's prescribed regularly by community pharmacies, and it's
provided to these individuals week in, week in,
week out for the rest of their lives.
And these are people such as police officers, teachers,
lawyers, even doctors like myself.
There are many people out there
who are taking these medications
and leading perfectly normal lives.
They are grandparents,
they're volunteers in local community organisations.
They are, as I've already alluded to, professionals,
you are probably coming into contact with as well.
And so the reason I stress that is
because that's perhaps a view of addiction
that we don't always consider.
Addiction is presented in one way
and portrayed in one way in the
media and in popular culture.
But actually there are people who are living with the
after effects of recovery from addiction, their abstinence
and ongoing treatment for it
that I think it would be helpful
for you to be aware of as well.
And I hope that provides you with some level of hope
that if they can do it, you certainly can as well.
Is there such thing as an addictive personality?
That's an interesting one because
that is another urban myth that I think goes around a lot
and people sometimes use it
as a badge of honour, don't they?
I've got an addictive personality,
or I'm wired for addiction.
It's not necessarily the case
that there is an addictive personality.
There are many factors that kind of contribute
to somebody becoming addicted or dependent on something.
Personality type can play a slight part in that,
in that you might be somebody who is more adventurous
or risk taking or prone to repetitive behaviours,
but there isn't one particular personality type
that we ascribe to addiction.
And so this notion that there are addictive personality
types is not something that I would place much credence on.
What is the link between dopamine and addiction?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter
or a chemical that's released from our brains.
And I think dopamine has this
perception within popular culture
that I think it's important for us to speak around,
particularly when it comes to the conversation
around addiction as well.
Dopamine in very simple terms as a feel-good chemical.
It's released in your brain when you are
experiencing something pleasurable.
So whether that's a cup of coffee
or a bar of chocolate,
when you're experiencing something pleasurable,
you are released, your brain is releasing dopamine, which is
what gives you that sense of enjoyment and pleasure.
When it comes to addiction,
we know that addictions are rooted in behaviours
that at one time were beneficial to you.
So whether that was to soothe something
or to comfort something,
or to provide you with pleasure,
whatever you are now addicted to
or potentially addicted to at one stage was something which
you sought pleasure from or comfort from,
or a sense of escape from.
And so dopamine is something which your brain is very used
to having released previously because of that substance.
We know that your brain though gets used to dosing
or exposure to substances.
So you may recognise, for example, that you have
to have more of a particular substance
to experience the same pleasure giving effect
because the dopamine release becomes less
and less the more you're exposed to a substance,
particularly when you move towards
addiction and such like as well.
So simply speaking, dopamine is a feel-good chemical.
It's released by all of our brains
whenever we're experiencing something pleasurable.
When you are addicted, it may be the case that you have
to expose yourself to more of the substance that you
previously did to get the same amount of dopamine release,
and sometimes that can then set aside, set into motion,
rather a vicious cycle.
That means you have to keep taking the stuff at higher
and higher concentrations
or doses to get the same effect as well.
How does addiction differ across genders?
The simple answer is addiction doesn't really differ
across genders at all.
It can affect anyone of any gender in any way.
We also know that addiction can affect anyone
of any background, any age,
and people from all different walks of life.
And so I wouldn't necessarily consider
that addiction affects certain people more than others.
It can affect anyone.
Can I be an addict without realising it?
That's a really interesting question,
and the fact that you've clicked on this particular question
for a response means that you may have an inkling
or a suspicion. Let me say this.
When people are addicted,
they are often really good at doing something called
masking, which is hiding their addiction from other people.
But sometimes that masking is so profound
and powerful that they actually hide the addiction
from themselves as well.
They become so used to living with their addiction
and accommodating for it
and making provision for it, that actually the fact
that they are an addict is perhaps
even lost on them as well.
If you are considering
you might be affected by an addiction,
an addiction is something which is interfering
with your day-to-day life
and is having an impact in your life in a way
that you're not comfortable with.
And either you are aware of that or you're not.
And if you are considering, you might be an addict,
it might be worth considering.
Not necessarily am I an addict,
but am I utilising this substance
or this behaviour in a way that's causing me harm
and having an impact on my life that's al or undesirable.
That might be the unlocking of it for you.
Where do I go if I think I have a problem with addiction?
If you consider you might have a problem with addiction,
the first thing I'd say is well done on recognising that
as a potential source of concern.
I'd also then say that there are lots
of things out there which you can do.
So let's take a step wise approach to this.
Sometimes speaking to somebody else can be really,
really difficult and challenging,
and you may want to confirm in your mind
what you are dealing with.
And so the first thing I'd say is there's lots
of information out there and it's important
that you recognise that the information you want
to access is information
that's accurate rather than information that has an agenda
or a bias that might not serve you.
If you look at the NHS website in the UK, that'll have lots
of very useful information.
Bupa also has its own health content,
which can be helpful to you as well.
And the reason I flag both
of these organisations in particular is
because our health information meets standards that ensure
that it is medically accurate and therefore of use to you.
There are also other organisations out there, charities
for example, that provide information
and you may want to consider accessing those as well.
There are support groups out there, so for example,
12 step programmes such as Alcoholics Anonymous,
Overeaters Anonymous, and any number of groups of
that nature are also within communities to help people.
And the great thing about those groups is
that they're available in person, but also online as well.
So if you don't want to necessarily go to a group
or live far from a physical group that you can access,
you can access those online as well.
I'd also then highlight the role of a medical professional.
It's really important that you consider at some stage
seeking support or advice from a doctor
or a healthcare professional too,
because they're trained in having these conversations.
And also in accessing all, accessing rather all the support
that's available to you locally.
So they'll know what services are available.
They'll have links or numbers to leaflets and organisations
and things that could be of use to you.
And if you need to seek out more formal support such
as therapy or medication
or other medical treatments for your addiction,
they'll be the ones to plug you into that as well.
So lots of things available, but take it one step at a time
and see what works for you.
And I wish you well in seeking out the right support
for you.
How do I best protect myself from slipping back into addiction?
Yeah, that's a really important one
because I think when we think
of addiction quite often there's a real focus on recovery
and getting better from the addiction.
But actually what happens
after that in the long term is often not really
spoken about or addressed.
The fact is when your brain has become addicted
to a substance or a process, there are
what we call neural networks
or pathways that have been formed
that will remain there forever,
and it is the case that those could then reactivate at any
time in the future as well.
So it could be the case that you relapse
or slip back into the behaviour you are seeking
to stay away from, such as drinking too much
or gambling too much,
or a new addictive behaviour may take over that path.
So you might go from, let's say, being somebody
who has a problem with alcohol to then having a problem
with recreational drugs,
or a problem with gambling to a problem with pornography.
So it's important that you remain vigilant the fact that
that neural pathway or neural pathways have been formed.
And while you've done well to overcome one addiction
or addictive pattern of behaviour, it is the case
that in the long term, you should always be vigilant
to look out for telltale signs
of you potentially becoming addicted to a new thing
or the same thing as before,
and put it into place a support system around you.
So whether that's going to regular 12 step groups
or seeing a counsellor on a regular basis,
or taking a medication
or some kind of treatment, psychological treatments,
for example, regularly to keep you abstinent
or away from whatever you are addicted to.
There are many different approaches,
but I think the awareness that it takes ongoing effort
in the long-term, which does get easier, but
nonetheless requires effort, is an important thing
to be aware of.
What kind of mental health conditions can impact on addiction?
Having an addiction
or being in the throes of an addictive behaviour
doesn't mean you will necessarily have
a mental health condition,
but we know that your mental health can be affected
because of an addiction.
So let's take for example, specific symptoms
or features of poor mental health that may show up
during addiction as well.
We know that people who are addicted can sometimes feel
anxious at times or sometimes feel low at times.
That doesn't mean they've got anxiety
or depression, which is a clinical diagnosis,
but rather that they experience features of anxiety
or features of depression or low mood.
Just like anybody who hasn't gotten an addiction can also
experience anxiety or low mood as well.
I think it's also worth considering
that if you are worried about your mental health
or an addiction, and whether there is a link
or a combination between the two, then the best thing
to do is to seek out support for that.
And whether that's having a conversation
with a trusted a friend or a colleague or a family member,
or whether that's seeing a healthcare professional to unpick
what you are concerned about
and have that explored further,
a conversation could certainly be of help.
If someone is affected by addiction, can mental health have an impact on their recovery?
When someone's affected by an addiction, it takes a lot
of psychological effort to overcome that addiction
and a lot of investment in your recovery as well.
Seeing a therapist, seeking out medical treatments,
seeing medical specialists, things of that nature.
And so if you've got a mental health condition alongside an
addiction, that in itself takes up a lot
of your mental bandwidth as well.
You've got to take a lot of time to look
after that, as well as your addiction as well.
So I want to provide a really honest response, which is
that if you have got an addiction
and you've got a mental health condition,
two very separate things that may
or may not be linked, it's going to take perhaps
more effort than somebody who only has an addiction
or only has a mental health condition.
That's not to say it's impossible, though.
There are many people who are affected by one
or both in combination
and many people who overcome their addictions
and indeed their mental health concerns and issues as well.
But it does require even more effort if you've got
the two in combination.
So do be mindful of that
and be kind to yourself if it's taking a bit longer than
somebody who only has an addiction
or only a mental health condition to contend with.
You've got the both and so to recognise it takes more time
or more effort is going to be useful for you to consider.
More support services
If you've got Bupa cover, you may have access to some of these services to support you with your mental health. Your cover could also include treatment for up to 28 days a year, in an inpatient or day patient facility
Mental health support
Addiction can impact your mental health. If you already have Bupa health insurance with mental health cover and you need some support, give our mental health team a call.
0808 115 3568^
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Find a Bupa-recognised professional near you
Browse our up-to-date list of Bupa-recognised consultants, therapists, hospitals and healthcare services.
You don't need to be a Bupa health insurance customer to see them. You can make your own appointment and pay for the treatment you need, when you need it.
Silvercloud
Employees with Bupa health cover will have access to our Online Mental Wellbeing Programmes, provided by SilverCloud Health.
This includes a range of online programmes that use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques to help their wellbeing.
Further support
Share advice from our experts on a variety of issues related to addictive behaviour.
Protecting your smile: the effects of substance abuse on your teeth
Substance abuse can negatively impact your teeth but there are things you can do to help protect them and stop your oral health from declining.
What happens in rehab?
Making the decision to go to rehab can be daunting, especially if you don't know what to expect. In this article, we break down the myths about rehab, as well as explaining what rehab centres are really like.
How to find social connection without alcohol
Many of us rely on alcohol to help us connect with others. In this article, our expert shares tips for connecting socially while sober.
Five immediate benefits of going sober
Drinking too much alcohol is bad for our physical and mental health. Many people are beginning to cut back or even cut alcohol out completely. What are the immediate effects of stopping drinking?
About talking therapies
Doctors use the term 'talking therapies' to group together a number of types of psychological therapy. They can help you understand what might be causing your problems, and explore ways of helping you deal with them.
