Recovery Road is pleased to offer a free and confidential Helpline service for survivors of withdrawal who may find themselves stuck and unable to move on. We give emotional support and information and signpost our callers to other services when necessary. If you are ready to close the ‘Withdrawal’ chapter of your life and to forge a new beginning, please contact us.
Our telephone number is 0845 600 7556 and we are open 10.00 am to 4.00 m 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.
The Helpline is also beneficial to those who are already in the process of moving on but may need a bit more confidence, encouragement and support. Anyone who does not want to participate fully in the Empowerment Programme but may want specific information – for example, on volunteering, managing stress and anxiety, dealing with finances, etc. – is also welcome to phone us.
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.
