Invest in the future: Address addiction today

- Work place stress may trigger mental health issues and lead to addictive behaviour

- A recent report estimates that nearly 10% of the UK’s gross national product (GNP) is lost each year due to work-related stress1

- Figures show that almost 13 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2003/42

- Many professionals fear the repercussions of dealing with mental health issues. Often they need help

- Evening counselling allows access to appropriate and discreet care

Life Works, an addiction and mental health treatment group, today (26/07/06) launches an intensive evening treatment programme specifically designed for individuals who wish to address their addiction without placing their job in jeopardy. Evening care makes effective treatment more accessible and is often most appropriate for professional patient groups.

75% of employers have suffered staff absenteeism as a result of alcohol abuse, with up to 17 million working days being lost each year due to alcohol related absence3. Further, alcohol misuse among employees costs up to 6.4 billion a year in lost productivity3.

The fear of prejudice often blocks professionals from seeking addiction counselling at an early stage. This is exactly what evening care aims to tackle. Life Works founder, Don Serratt, who is no stranger to addiction himself, comments, ìStress comes in many different shapes and forms and can trigger addictive behaviour in some people. This is quite common amongst high flyers, yet less than 10% of companies have a policy to tackle stress1. Not surprisingly, alcohol and drug addiction has emerged as a significant problem for 10-15% of people in upper management and at the executive level of organisations4.î

He continues, ìOne of the most important things about addressing addiction is identifying it early. By enabling professionals to seek help outside of working hours in our intensive evening treatment programme, the problem can be dealt with quickly and effectively before it spirals out of control.î

An anonymous trader who is recovering from drug addiction with the help of Life Works adds, ìFor me, cocaine use soon got out of hand. Fortunately, I realised I needed help. Life Worksí evening sessions are an important step in my recovery - they allow me to continue working whilst having access to treatment and support.î