Acquisition International - Non-Profit Organisation Awards 2023 21 Another challenge currently faced byUKSR is entering the corporate world. Many people mistakenly believe that substance addiction is confined to homeless people. In reality, 70% of substance abusers are in fulltime employment. Addiction is prevalent in high performing business spaces, especially since using alcohol or other substances is sometimes part of a company’s culture. However, there is little to no support for those who are struggling at work, whether they are addicted themselves or have a loved one or colleague who has developed addictive behaviours. “I believe we have the ability to transform this by smashing stigma and misperceptions, increasing awareness, and creating a much more empathic and supportive workplace environment that enables people to get help,” Dr Charlie Orton, CEO of UKSR, comments. “SMART Recovery has the solution, we can help surface the conversation and stitch this type of support into HR, occupational health, and welfare functions in any business organisation.” Over the last two years, UKSR has dedicated itself to developing relationships with business owners, listening to their needs, and educating them about unbalanced lives and the damaging affects they have. Many recognise the need to do more in this space, as employee welfare and mental health become increasingly important. Staff are struggling with burnout, which often leads to self-soothing behaviours such as compulsive spending, drinking alcohol, or using substances. This is where UKSR can help, it has a ready-made solution that organisations just have to take the initiative to deploy. As a result of its incredible work, UK SMART Recovery has been awarded Addiction Recovery Training Charity of the Year in the Non-Profit Organisation Awards 2023. In the coming years, the organisation plans to continue to run Unite For Recovery, which is an annual fundraising and awareness campaign involving a virtual challenge to walk around the world. UKSR invites anyone and everyone to join the challenge and support the work it does. Contact: Charlie Orton Company: UK SMART Recovery Web Address: smartrecovery.org.uk hrough its science based4-point programme, UKSR equips individuals who are prone to addictive behaviours with rational, easy to learn, and self-empowering skills that will help them abstain from addictive behaviours and develop abalanced life. The programme helps participants decide whether they have a problem and builds their motivation to change, empowering them to make the best choices. It helps them understand their urges and prevent themselves from acting on them, equipping them with the knowledge they need to manage their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. The programme is both trauma-informed and science-based, using tools associated with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and other well-known psychological interventions. Furthermore, it is secular, non-stigmatising, and does not use any labels to describe participants or their addiction. It is firmly rooted in the harm reduction model of care, meaning it accepts people who are in active addiction as well as recovery involving substitution therapy. UKSR’s programme is delivered via a network of peer-led mutual aid meetings as well as addiction and mental health treatment services, both in the community and in prisons. It is completely free to anyone who needs it, regardless of their health status, culture, or background. People are not required to access it through a health care professional, instead they can simply self- refer and attend one of its open mutual aid meetings online. This provides confidentiality and anonymity in an extremely accessible way. UKSR is proud to offer tailored programmes for veterans, family and friends, as well as young people. Furthermore, it offers meetings for groups of people with specific needs, for example LGBTQ+, women only, prescription medication only, and more. Its materials are also translated into 12 languages, making them accessible to even more people who need them. The charity trains people to be qualified as SMART facilitators, who set up and deliver online and in-person recovery meetings. Many of UKSR’s facilitators are volunteers who want to give back to the community that helped them. The organisation relies heavily on its volunteer workforce. Those in recovery who apply to be a facilitator can access training for free. However, this often means that many people sign up, but fewer complete the training, and even fewer go on to set up mutual aid meetings. In response to this challenge, UKSR has introduced a lot of support for those completing the facilitator training and is planning to launch a new volunteer recognition scheme in the coming year. T Based in Manchester, UK SMART Recovery (UKSR) is a registered National charity that supports people who experience problematic behaviours of any kind, including behavioural addiction and substance misuse. Its mission is to empower these individuals with practical skills, tools, and support, enabling them to manage their addictive behaviours and go on to lead balanced and meaningful lives. Sep22252 Addiction Recovery Training Charity of the Year 2023 - UK Contact: Charlie Orton Company: UK SMART Recovery Web Address: smartrecovery.org.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drcharlieorton Mar23625
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUyMDQwMA==