Alcohol Awareness Week 2025: Supporting Recovery at Work

The theme this year is “Alcohol and Work”, shining a much-needed light on how drinking affects our working lives and how workplace culture can influence our drinking. Whether it’s after-hours drinks, stress-fuelled habits, or the stigma around asking for help, this theme is about starting honest conversations about alcohol in the workplace.

The Forward Trust: helping people break the cycle

At The Forward Trust, we understand the complex relationship between alcohol and work. For over 30 years, we’ve supported people facing addiction and helped them build stable, fulfilling lives, including in their professional lives.

We work with individuals across the UK, both in the community and in the criminal justice system, offering a wide range of evidence-based alcohol treatment and recovery services. These include:

• One-to-one support and group programmes for those struggling with alcohol dependence.
• Residential rehabilitation, which includes substance use detox services within a proven 12-step treatment programme.
• Employment and skills training to help people in recovery gain new skills, build their confidence and find meaningful work.
• Mental health support, recognising that alcohol misuse often coexists with anxiety, depression, or trauma.
• Partnerships with employers and organisations to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and create healthier workplace environments.

Why does this year’s theme “Alcohol and Work” matter?

Alcohol misuse doesn’t exist in a vacuum. For many, work is both a trigger and a pressure point. Long hours, job insecurity, burnout, and social drinking norms can all contribute to unhealthy coping mechanisms.

According to Alcohol Change UK, alcohol costs UK employers over £7 billion each year due to lost productivity, absenteeism, and workplace accidents. But the human cost is even higher: missed opportunities, untreated mental health issues, and shame that keeps people from seeking support.

This week, we’re encouraging employers to:

• Open up honest conversations about alcohol and mental health.
• Review policies to ensure they support, not punish, people seeking help.
• Create inclusive social environments that don’t centre around alcohol.
• Signpost staff to services like those provided by The Forward Trust.

Support Forward this Alcohol Awareness Week

Alcohol Awareness Week is an opportunity to help yourself, a loved one or a colleague with their alcohol use. If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol use, know that help is available – and recovery is possible.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol use, help is available. You can access support, explore our services, and learn more about how we’re helping people take back control.

Together, we can build workplaces and communities where recovery is supported and stigma has no place.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol use, help is available. You can speak confidentially with a trained volunteer through our Reach Out online chat service.