It is Addiction Awareness Week, and we are joining organisations across the country to raise awareness of the realities of addiction and highlight the need to challenge the stigma that prevents many people from seeking help.

This year’s theme focuses on compassion, understanding and openness, which reflects the work we do at The Living Room, where we provide free, on-going, life-changing group therapy for people and their families living with addiction.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, Patron of The Forward Trust, shared a powerful message for Addiction Awareness Week:

“Addiction is not a choice, or a personal failing, but a complex mental health condition that should be met with empathy and support. But still, even now in 2025, people’s experience of addiction is shaped by fear, shame and judgement. This needs to change.

“The stigma surrounding those who face addiction allows it to thrive behind closed doors, impacting families and communities, and ultimately ruining lives. Many of us will know someone who is struggling with an addiction. Now is the moment to show our compassion and love to help them, or their friends and family, to reach out to organisations like The Forward Trust for support.

“Recovery is hard, but with the right treatment it is possible. And this begins with a conversation, a listening ear and showing we care.

“So please join the conversation. By talking about it in the open, together we can bring addiction and the harm it causes out of the shadows. We can reframe this issue with kindness and understanding, and we can help individuals and families coping with addiction know they are not alone.”

At The Living Room, we see every day how shame and misunderstanding hold people back from seeking help. Many of our clients come to us believing they have failed, when in fact they are experiencing a serious and treatable mental health condition.

Our work is built on compassion. We provide a safe, non-judgemental space where people can speak openly, rebuild trust in themselves, and develop the tools needed for long-term recovery.

Proud to Support Hertfordshire’s Anti-Stigma Campaign

This year we have also been proud to be part of Hertfordshire County Council’s Anti-Stigma Campaign, a county-wide initiative aimed at changing public attitudes toward addiction and improving understanding of it as a health condition rather than a moral failing.

The campaign encourages open conversation, challenges harmful stereotypes, and promotes early intervention by reassuring residents that seeking help is a sign of strength. By sharing lived experiences, promoting local support services, and educating communities, the campaign aims to reduce the barriers such as fear, shame and judgement, that often keep people from reaching out. Our involvement has helped amplify the voices of people in recovery and highlight the support available across Hertfordshire.

Addiction Awareness Week is a reminder that open conversation can be a lifeline. By challenging stigma and highlighting the support available, we can help more people take their first steps toward recovery.

We would love for you to join us in sharing this message. Together, we can ensure that those affected by addiction feel seen, understood and supported and not judged or isolated.