Addiction and mental health
Addiction may affect one in three people‡. It’s a condition that can cause physical and mental illness.
Don’t let addiction get in the way of your mental health. We’re here to support you in recovering, even if you’re not a Bupa customer.
How does addiction affect mental health?
People may turn to substances like drugs or alcohol for enjoyment, or to try and deal with what’s going on in their lives. But if they become an addiction, those substances can have the opposite effect. An addiction can spiral out of control and take over your life. So although an addiction can be the result of a mental health problem, it can also cause them.
Bupa’s health insurance covers you for any addiction. We’ll even cover you for a period of rehab to help you recover from your dependency†. Our health insurance is designed to cover you for the treatment of conditions that appear after you take out a policy with us, and that includes mental health conditions, however this is a wide-ranging area, so even if you’ve struggled in the past with similar but unrelated symptoms, we’d still look to see if we can support you.
†To support addictions, we fund one addiction treatment programme per membership lifetime. Please call us if you would like to discuss the benefit limits on your policy.
Normal for Alan was drinking over two litres of gin a day
He hid it quite well and hoped no one would notice. But his family did. Watch our video to see what life used to be like for him, and how we helped‡.
‡Each story refers to mental health cover and reflects the experience of one particular Bupa member. The cover you choose will have specific terms and conditions, and pre-existing conditions are normally excluded.
ALAN:
If you knew where I’d come from…
…you wouldn’t think I’d be here now.
But after I retired, I was drinking two litres of gin every day.
Breaking point was the day my wife said she was walking out.
When I rang Bupa, I suppose I ran out of excuses.
I had a session with a doctor who specialises in addiction. He said basically ‘you’re killing yourself’
He put together a treatment plan. I went into rehab for 28 days.
SARAH:
We’re here to get you the support and treatment you need and minimise the impact on your family.
We do follow up calls…keep the conversation going and make sure you’re doing okay.
ALAN:
I’ve got a lot to thank Bupa for.
I’ve got my family back.
And I suppose I’ve got myself back, too.
What is addiction?
Addictions usually start out as enjoyable habits – like a smoke or a drink with friends, a flutter at the races, or taking drugs to relax. But if you’re no longer in control of your habit, or it becomes harmful, that’s an addiction. You may find you need more of something to get the same effect, whether that’s gambling, alcohol, drugs or nicotine. Some people are especially prone to addiction, too.
Addiction can have a lasting negative effect on your mental health. For example, the abuse of some drugs can lead to developing schizophrenia, paranoia or psychosis.
Listen to our podcast: Exploring your relationship with alcohol
In this 12-minute podcast, a Bupa colleague talks openly about how alcohol stripped him of absolutely everything. He’s followed by two of our experts who discuss finding the motivation to cut down on drinking.
How can you support a loved one through addiction?
Addiction rarely gets better on its own. People need help and support to kick their habit. If your friend, colleague or family member is struggling with an addiction, there are ways we can help.
You don’t need to be a Bupa customer to use all the information and advice we provide here. You might also find Helping someone else with their mental health (PDF, 0.4MB) useful.
Mind, the mental health charity, has a list of specialist organisations that help with addiction and dependency.
Our tips for coping with addiction
What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism, or alcohol dependence, is when you need to have a drink to keep going. You can’t control how much or how often you drink, and you may not realise at first that it’s becoming a problem − or you may be in denial. Unfortunately, alcohol addiction can cause a range of mental health problems. This article looks at some symptoms of alcohol addiction and its treatments.
Talking therapies for mental health
It’s important to get treatment for addiction, and admitting and exploring its effect on your life can be a good place to start. There are many different types of talking therapy, so even if counselling isn’t for you then there are other options you could try.
Can CBT help to treat addiction?
There are psychological and pharmacological interventions for all addictions, whilst a pharmacological approach is usually considered in the early stages of treatment, psychological approaches such as CBT may be appropriate.
CBT teaches you to recognise unhelpful patterns in the way you think and behave. It also shows you how to challenge and change those patterns.
Find Bupa-recognised mental health professionals near you
Our Finder tool lets you browse the directory of Bupa-recognised consultants, psychologists, therapists, counsellors and other professionals.
You don’t need to be a Bupa health insurance customer to see them, just make your own appointment and pay independently.
Workplace Wellbeing Hub
We’re here to help you support your team's wellbeing.
- Discover how to implement a workplace wellbeing strategy
- Get practical guidance on how to support your team's wellbeing, especially as they return to work
- Use our range of guides to help support your team
- Read our informative blog posts covering a range of topics
- Access our ‘Census 2019 - A wellbeing in the workplace’ report
Workplace mental health
If you’re a manager, we can help you look after your team.
- Learn how to set up a Wellness Action Plan
- Improve your organisation's approach to mental health
- Discover how to play an important role in supporting your team
- Find out how to feel confident talking about mental health
#OpenUp
We want to open up the conversation in your business.
- Break the stigma attached to mental health in the workplace
- Find out how we are encouraging businesses to open up
- Get advice on talking about mental wellbeing with your team
- Listen to our podcasts covering mental health in the workplace
Support for addiction from Bupa’s experts
Our wellbeing platform, Healthy Me, is where you’ll find a range of help in coping with addiction.
If you’re in a crisis or just need some help, don’t hesitate. Here are some really helpful organisations that you can turn to for support.
Samaritans
When life is difficult, Samaritans are there – day or night, 365 days a year. Whoever you are and whatever you’re facing, they won’t judge you or tell you what to do. They’re there to listen so you don’t have to face it alone.
Call free day or night on
116 123 (UK and ROI)
Mind
Mind is a charity dedicated to mental health. They exist to make sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone. They’ll listen to you and offer support and advice.
0300 123 3393
Lines open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for bank holidays
Young Minds
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity for children’s and young people's mental health. You can text Crisis Messenger for free 24/7 and get support from trained volunteers who are supervised by experienced clinicians. Texts are free from most major mobile networks.
For urgent help, text YM to 85258
Mental Health Foundation
This charity helps people understand, protect and sustain their mental health. The ‘Your mental health’ section has lots of useful content, including podcasts about mindfulness and overcoming anxiety.
Rethink Mental Illness
Rethink offers crisis and recovery services, advocacy, online resources, support groups and much more. Each year, they help tens of thousands of people manage their mental wellbeing.
0300 5000 927
Lines open 9:30am to 4pm Monday to Friday
Mental health support as part of Bupa health insurance
I’m already a Bupa health insurance customer
If you have mental health cover as part of your Bupa health insurance, we may be able to refer you to a consultant or therapist, and you may not even have to see your GP first††. Or we can put you through to one of our mental health nurses.
0808 256 1766^
^Calls may be recorded and to maintain the quality of our service we may monitor some of our calls, always respecting the confidentiality of the call.
I’m not a Bupa customer, but I’d like to find out more about health insurance
If you’re looking for mental health support as part of a broader health insurance policy, we can look after you, your family, or your employees. For more information on what conditions we can cover you for, speak to us directly.
^We may record or monitor our calls.
††Direct Access telephone services are available as long as the symptoms are covered under the policy. If your cover excludes conditions you had before your policy started, we’ll ask you to provide evidence from your GP that your symptoms are not pre-existing for a period of up to two years from policy start date (or up to five years in the case of mental health). We can then refer you to a consultant or therapist through the Direct Access service. Always call us first to check your eligibility.
‡Action on Addiction. Addiction widespread in society with more than half of Britons knowing a victim, new poll finds. https://www.actiononaddiction.org.uk/news/latest-news/yougov-poll, published 10 June 2019.
Bupa health insurance is provided by Bupa Insurance Limited. Registered in England and Wales No. 3956433. Bupa Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Arranged and administered by Bupa Insurance Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales No. 3829851. Registered office: 1 Angel Court, London EC2R 7HJ.
