“Healthwatch Essex launched (1st April 2022) a new campaign encouraging people in Essex to seek support if they are battling with addiction, fronted by people in recovery from drug, alcohol and gambling addiction.

The campaign has been driven by and co-designed by people in Essex who are recovering from addiction and sharing their stories in the hope of inspiring others to seek support.

The campaign will see posters placed across the county in public areas and medical facilities, featuring photographs of the participants illustrating how their lives have changed since they entered recovery, accompanied by an online campaign using various social media. Each of the participants recorded some short clips that were shared via TikTok earlier in the project, proving popular with viewers as they reached a combined audience of more than half a million people and sparked important conversations about addiction support.

Each of the participants told us about the importance of seeking peer-led support, something which, in most cases, wasn’t actively offered or explained to them when they initially asked for help. The campaign will focus on ensuring on highlighting the importance of this, and through Healthwatch Essex, helping people to access the services they may need.”

Find more from Healthwatch Essex (UK, 2022)

Drowning in a Gene Pool – CLEAR VOICES

In this episode, we speak to Laura who lives with Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Li-Fraumeni is a rare, inherited genetic syndrome that causes a high, lifelong risk of developing multiple types of cancer. Laura shares how her family has been impacted by cancer over the years and how her diagnosis has affected her.

1. Drowning in a Gene Pool 56:16
2. The Importance of Empathy 36:01
3. Research Reflections – Women’s experiences of living with multiple long-term conditions 01:10:21
4. ‘It’s not just a bad period!’ – Living with Endometriosis 59:39
5. 'PSA and Me' – Christie's Story of Arthritis 01:03:00