97%

of hospitality professionals believe alcohol and drug abuse is a problem in the industry

59%

of hospitality professionals have seen collegues drinking to excess while on shift

40%

of hospitality professionals have seen collegues take illegal drugs while on shift

£7.3 billion

Amount employers lose yearly due to lack of productivity as a result of the misuse of alcohol.

Established in 2023, We Recover Loudly works to raise awareness of the risks of addiction in hospitality. We want to normalise asking for help, combating shame and offering support to those struggling. We want to keep the doors wide open of the industry to people in recovery, and support them getting back into the workplace.
Ultimately we want to eliminate the industry's destructive drinking and drug taking culture and support businesses in creating sustainable workplaces for all to thrive.

REDUCING STIGMA

Open conversations about addiction and recovery are key in normalising the experience and reducing stigma. Sharing both challenges and successes can shift perspectives and build connection within the hospitality community.

CREATE AWARENESS

Sharing our personal recovery stories educates others on the challenges we face, fostering understanding and enabling more informed discussions on mental

health and addiction. It puts the 'human' into the conversation.

BUILD COMMUNITY

Sharing our journey's out loud allows us to connect with others and aids in building a supportive community. Hearing about others' experiences provide identification and motivation - And are an essential reminder if you are struggling, that you that you're not alone in your struggles.

ENCOURAGE CHANGE

Sharing personal recovery stories will inspire and motivate others facing similar challenges. Seeing someone else's progress might end up being the catalyst for them to start their own journey to recovery. More than that, we are encouraging change in the hospitality industry.

We Recover Loudly is a community interest project focused on creating lasting and meaningful change. Our goal is to shake things up in how we support those who are going through tough times, helping them get back on their feet and back into work. We want to shift the industry's attitude towards addiction, and shift the industry's perspective on addiction as a problem solely owned by the individual.

To make all this happen, we offer engaging workplace workshops, training in addiction awareness and recovery, facilitation of peer-to-peer support groups, and one-on-one therapeutic recovery coaching for professionals in the hospitality industry. Join us as we work together to make a difference!

#Werecoverloudly

Ways of Working with Shell and We Recover Loudly

Group Training / Workshops

Online or In Person

Introduction To Addiction - definitions, types, statistics and trends in the industry

Understanding Addiction - Causes and risk factors, symptoms, the impact on the business and the team, why hospitality is so prone to addiction

Addiction in the Workplace - Case studies, shared experiences, high risk factors.

Policies and procedures including legal and ethical considerations, including handling intoxicated guests.

How to create lasting change - Support and resources avaliable.

Management Level Training

Online or In Person

Early identification of issues in team members, and how to support them.

How to write an effective drug and alcohol policy.

How to support a return to work for someone who has struggled with addiction: work place adjustments, legal responsibility, ongoing support. What does an OPEN DOOR really mean?

How to have difficult discussions with team members when someone is missing from the team due to issues with addiction.

Intervention techniques and prevention strategies.

121 Recovery Coach Training

Online

Tailored support for you if you are worried about your own behaviours with alcohol and drug use.

Confidential support offered, focused on one person specific defined outcomes.

For more information, course outlines and quotes book a discovery call now.

RECOVERING LOUDLY, SPEAKING PUBLICLY

I am passionate about sharing my story to help others suffering in silence. Representation is crucial, and I want to show those in hospitality that struggling with addiction is okay; you can achieve an incredible and successful career while maintaining sobriety. I wish I had heard stories like mine during my own struggles. Topics I focus on include -

Authentic Experiences: I share my personal journey with addiction and recovery to give genuine hope to others. I am straightforward and unfiltered, sharing hard truths through skilled storytelling and humor to engage as many people as possible.

Advocacy for Change: I want to create systemic change in our industry's culture of excess by promoting proactive support as the key to reducing addiction rates. I'm passionate about helping people in recovery return to the workplace safely and feel supported through an OPEN DOOR policy.

Professional Industry Expertise: With over 18 years in top restaurant and bar brands, I can relate to others as 'one of them,' discussing stress, burnout, and overwhelm as catalysts for increased drug and alcohol use.

If you're seeking an inspiring speaker for addiction recovery and workplace wellbeing, I am happy to discuss all speaking engagements and media collaborations. Contact me to make a lasting impact on your audience.

BOOK SHELL FOR YOUR EVENT

Shell is a hospitality veteran with 18 years FOH experience, focusing primarily on operations, training, and business development. She has worked for some of London's best restaurant groups including Hawksmoor, Gaucho and Polpo. Having suffered a life changing burnout late 2020, she has changed her focus to improving the mental health working conditions of people in the industry by forcing difficult conversations out into the open, specifically concerning the hidden epidemic of addiction.

Her podcast We Recover Loudly offers a platform for people with experience of drug and alcohol addiction, in the industry to discuss what we can do to change the systemic culture of excessive substance use we have. The episodes also highlight how it is possible to break these habits and still work within the industry, having a thriving career while in recovery. Shell's work continues to look beyond high levels of addiction we have and ask, "if alcohol/drugs were the solutions to a problem, what problems do we have in our industry that we need to change?”

The services We Recover Loudly provides include onsite workshops promoting a safe and inclusive drinking culture in the workplace, small group coaching for managers to help them better support team members and change the culture and attitudes towards drinking in their sites, and as a qualified recovery coach, she also runs 121 mentoring for hospitality leaders who want to change their relationship with drugs and alcohol.As someone who is diagnosed as autistic, ADHD hyperactive and dyslexic, Shell’s recent training programs have focused on how we create more supportive environments for people who are neurodiverse in the workplace, and what long term impacts that has on their mental health, and risks of harmful addictive behaviours.

In her spare time, Shell is Low No Drinker magazine’s resident agony aunt, 'Aunty Shell'. She lives in Bournemouth with her sassy sausage dog called Milo who loves the beach and going out for brunch!