Nacoa Lunchtime Live: Alcohol Awareness Week 2025 Special
Live on Instagram – @nacoauk
Mon, 7 July | 12:30pm BST
Free to watch | No registration required
To mark Alcohol Awareness Week 2025, Nacoa is hosting a special edition of our Lunchtime Live series, opening up a conversation that often goes unspoken:
“Parental Addiction and the Workplace: The Hidden Impact”
For those who grew up with a parent who struggled with alcohol, the effects often continue long into adult life — including how we experience and cope with the workplace. From feelings of anxiety, burnout and self-doubt to the stress of managing home life when a loved one is still drinking, many adult children of alcoholics (COAs) face silent struggles at work every day.
What are commons struggles of people who grew up with this situation at home? How can we support people who are dealing with an alcohol dependent family member at home? What ways can we protect children either in educational environments? Or make a difference for children connected to our colleagues?
What we’ll be discussing:
- Common challenges COAs face in professional environments
- The pressures of balancing work while living with or supporting someone who drinks
- The role of drinking cultures in certain professions
- How we can provide meaningful support in the workplace
- What it means to safeguard and support children affected today
Chaired by Josh Connolly
We’re delighted to welcome back Josh Connolly — resilience coach, speaker, and long-time Nacoa ambassador — as chair of this special event. Josh will guide the conversation with empathy, insight and lived experience.
Guest speakers:
- Sarah Drage – Host of The Children of Alcoholics Podcast, sharing her story and amplifying the voices of others
- Jess Frost – COA coach supporting adult children to understand and heal from their past
- Shakila – Nacoa speaker volunteer offering a personal perspective on growing up around addiction
Together, we’ll be discussing what it really means to grow up affected by someone else’s drinking — and how that continues to show up in adult life and work.
How to watch
Join us live on Instagram @nacoauk
Monday 7 July
12:30pm BST
No need to sign up — just tune in, listen, and be part of the conversation.
Every story matters. Every voice helps.
Together, we can break the silence around parental addiction.
How do I join an ‘Instagram Live’?
To join an Instagram Live hosted by @nacoauk, first open the Instagram app on your phone. Make sure you are logged into your account / create an account if you don’t have one yet.
Then, go to the search tab and type nacoauk in the search bar. Tap on the nacoauk profile.
When Nacoa is live at 12:30pm on the day, you will see a colorful ring around their profile picture with the word “Live”. Tap the profile picture to join the live video.
Contact us
If you have any questions at all, just contact us for more info.
