Recovery Road is pleased to offer a free and confidential Helpline service for those currently coping with withdrawal and for others who are fully or mostly recovered but are unable to move on. We give emotional support and information, and signpost our callers to other services where necessary. If you are struggling with withdrawal-related issues or are ready to close the ‘withdrawal’ chapter of your life to forge a new beginning, please contact us.
Our telephone number for withdrawal support is 0845 600 7556 and we are open 10.00 am to 12.00 pm Monday to Friday. Calls cost no more than 4p per minute from a standard BT line; calls from other networks and mobile phones may vary.
From 12.00 pm to to 4.00 pm our Empowerment helpline is open. This is part of our Moving On programme. (If you would like to use this service please first email us at empowerment@recovery-road.org.)
The Empowerment helpline is beneficial if you are stuck or if you already in the process of effecting a new life chapter but feel you need more confidence, encouragement and support. Anyone who does not want to participate fully but may want specific information – for example, on volunteering, managing stress and anxiety, dealing with finances, etc. – is also welcome to contact us at: empowerment@recovery-road.org.
Confidentiality
We take confidentiality very seriously and aim to create a trusting relationship with helpline users. Callers’ personal details are not shared with third parties unless consent has been given. Exceptions to this are detailed below and are made only where there is a potential risk to the caller or others and/or where required by law.
Objectives of the confidentiality policy
- To protect callers’ personal information.
- To provide a service where callers feel able to speak openly about their concerns, knowing that the information is kept private.
- To ensure the protection of callers, helpline workers and the general public.
- To ensure that the helpline adheres to the Data Protection Act.
- To ensure that helpline workers understand and adhere to the policy.
Exceptions when confidentiality may be broken
- A caller is perceived as a serious and immediate risk to him or herself by helpline workers. This may include being actively suicidal or self-harming.
- A caller is perceived as presenting a serious and immediate risk to others.
- A call which seems to indicate abuse of any kind to children.
- A call which indicates possible terrorist action.
A ‘listening ear’ service
We understand that coping with withdrawal can be challenging and highly distressing at times, and that there may be moments when some callers feel that ending their life is a viable option.
Helpline Workers will never encourage an individual towards such action.
However, they are trained to deal with this type of call and are available to talk through the difficult and sometimes complex feelings which may lead to these thoughts.
Responsibilities of the Project Coordinator
Management will ensure that all Helpline workers are sufficiently trained to fully understand the scope of this policy and how to implement it in practice.
Responsibilities of helpline users
Callers take responsibility for the information they divulge.
Please note we are not medically qualified and do not supervise tapers, diagnose, give medical advice or opinions on treatments prescribed by your doctor or healthcare professional. We are here to spur you on, listen to you and validate your experience.
