Catherine Calls For End To 'stigma' Around Addiction

The Princess of Wales has called for an extremity to nan "stigma" surrounding addiction, and urged group to connection "empathy and support" to those limited connected alcohol, narcotics aliases gambling.

Catherine, who sent nan connection to people Addiction Awareness Week, said "significant progress" has been made to amended understand addiction, but warned much needs to beryllium done.

The princess is nan patron of The Forward Trust, a kindness that tries to break nan rhythm of addiction and is down nan run moving from 23-30 November.

Catherine, who has besides campaigned connected intelligence wellness issues, draws parallels betwixt nan 2 conditions successful her message.

She said addiction was "not a prime aliases a individual failing, but a analyzable intelligence wellness information that should beryllium met pinch empathy and support".

She added: "But still, moreover now successful 2025, people's acquisition of addiction is shaped by fear, shame and judgement. This needs to change.

"The stigma surrounding those who look addiction allows it to thrive down closed doors, impacting families and communities, and yet ruining lives."

The princess said that galore group will cognize personification who is struggling pinch addiction.

"Now is nan infinitesimal to show our compassion and emotion to thief them, aliases their friends and family, to scope retired to organisations for illustration The Forward Trust for support," she said.

"Recovery is hard, but pinch nan correct curen it is possible. And this originates pinch a conversation, a listening receptor and showing we care."

Catherine launched nan first Addiction Awareness Week successful 2021 connected behalf of nan spot and its Taking Action connected Addiction campaign.

She concluded her connection by urging group to person unfastened conversations to bring addiction and nan harm it causes "out of nan shadows".

It is not nan first clip Catherine has spoken retired connected nan rumor of addiction.

In 2022, she gave her individual support to group struggling pinch addictions, telling them shame should not extremity them getting thief and urging a much compassionate nationalist cognition towards nan condition.

Former England and Arsenal skipper Tony Adams, who spent 11 years successful addiction, has besides recorded a video to motorboat a bid of films demonstrating nan powerfulness of unfastened conversations successful nan travel to recovery.

In nan film, he reveals that a speech pinch his mother-in-law Barbara was nan catalyst to getting help.

Adams, who is now president of trustees astatine nan Forward Trust, said: "If you are struggling pinch an addiction aliases a intelligence wellness issue, past please scope retired and get nan due help. The top point I ever did was to say, 'I can't do this'."

The kindness provides services including helping pinch employment and addressing nan problems of addicts and addictions successful prison.

Before nan Princess of Wales became nan Forward Trust's patron, she had doubly visited nan charity's constituent misuse services astatine HMP Send, a women's situation successful Surrey.

The spot has besides called for greater nickname of nan standard of gambling wrong prisons.

Several group who person struggled pinch addiction contacted nan BBC aft reference Catherine's message.

Steve Jones said he "turned to portion and drugs" to "help blank it each out" aft spending 40 years successful nan military. After losing friends successful a chopper clang and witnessing a man dice successful a car accident, Mr Jones said he "had bottled up each these emotions which each came retired 5 years ago".

He believes nan Princess of Wales' unfastened chat of addiction and intelligence wellness will thief to region nan stigma and promote understanding.

Another reader, who only wanted to beryllium named arsenic MD, said they had been struggling pinch gambling for astir 20 years, calling it "an addiction that you tin only hide by lying and deceiving people".

MD feels that Addiction Awareness Week and Catherine's connection has "amazing intent", but "the stigma and shame connected thing for illustration this virtually drives group to suicide."