WHILE the cost of living continues to rise, an addiction charity in Oxford has warned it is seeing an increase in demand for its services, as more people struggle to afford therapy and rehab.
Adapt (Addicts Are People Too), in Cowley, has found a 75 per cent increase in demand for its services in the past year.
Eddie Cobb, who founded the charity in 2019 after struggling with addiction, said that the cost of living crisis is one of the reasons for it.
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She said: “It is essential that we highlight how the cost of living crisis is driving a huge rise in addiction issues across the UK.
“Many of the places where people may have historically been able to turn to get help are no longer available due to a lack of funding support.
“This is a perfect storm and risks seeing more and more vulnerable people being left behind by society."
Ms Cobb, 31, from Littlemore, set up the charity to give support and housing to those in need.
Currently Adapt provides housing, therapy and mental-health support for free in the community to those trying to rebuild their lives.
She said: “The charity has changed a lot since 2019 and it’s been really successful. Private treatment is expensive and I wanted to provide something for people who can’t afford it otherwise.
“I am in recovery myself and I was fortunate enough to have private funding – but why should people that don’t have that money not get the help they need?
“I wanted to provide unique support, housing and counselling – I wanted to help people that were written off and give them a chance.
“I believe that addiction is a health concern but it’s not really seen as that. A lot of people are being turned down for funding, so having something like Adapt gives them a second chance.
“It’s important for people to know that there’s help out there.”
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While more people are asking for support, charities like Adapt are struggling with increasing costs too.
Ms Cobb said: “We know it’s about to get worse year on year and it’s quite frightening – we have been inundated with referrals but we need more funding to continue to provide the services.
“We had to close one of our houses because the rent went up and that was unfortunate, but we have got a very good reputation so it’s a lot less difficult to find properties.
“The government cuts have always been a problem, even way before the cost of living crisis or the pandemic.
“Covid increased the rate of addiction and I’ve had people telling me they started to drink more because of lockdown or isolation.”
To find out more and to donate, visit https://adaptoxford.org.uk/
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This story was written by Anna Colivicchi, she joined the team this year and covers health stories for the Oxfordshire papers.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Anna.colivicchi@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @AnnaColivicchi
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