Hannah Tyers turning pain into passion to help others
Volunteer Hannah Tyers is turning terrible pain into a burning passion to support children damaged by the impacts of addiction.
Since finding Nacoa, she has delivered countless schools presentations and touched lives through her sharing and advocacy. By successfully nominating Nacoa for the HQR London Gala in 2023, she helped raise £74,000 to be used to keep the helpline alive for tens of thousands of calls every year.
This incredible donation will also go to boost our schools campaign into the next two years! So if you would like to request a visit to your local school, please get in touch with us on admin@nacoa.org.uk.
Without the mighty impact of incredible advocates like Hannah, we simply couldn’t be here. But with a community like this, no child needs to grow up feeling that they are alone dealing with a parent’s drinking.
Hannah’s speech
Hi, I’m Hannah, and I’m the child of an alcoholic. Throughout my childhood, I thought I was the only one in this position. One in five children affected by a parent’s drinking. And only 18% of addicts are in treatment. I lost my mum in December 2021, and it is now my mission to make a difference. Nacoa stands for the National Association for Children of Alcoholics.
It was founded in 1990 to address the needs of children growing up in families where their parents suffer from alcoholism. The main aims of Nacoa are to offer advice and support, reach professionals that work with children and raise awareness for alcoholism and the effects that it can have on families. Addiction starts as a solution to boredom or pain and works well until it’s the only solution and you cannot stop.
This is why it’s so important to raise awareness for alcoholism and the effects that it can have on our personal health and those around us. With Nacoa I’ve been able to find my voice and understand more about the topic of alcoholism, which is all part of the recovery process. It’s just extremely difficult that I’m not holding Mum’s hand through this, and I have to do it alone.
I’ve learned that my obsession with controlling things comes from trying to control Mum’s drinking. And when I couldn’t, I’ve tried to control everything else in my life, including my work. I’ve been this way since I can remember. And Mum even wrote it in a diary back in 2008. Oh, little Hannah, how hard you try to be so grown, but you are still so small and precious.
I was eight years old trying to fix people
And because you are that to me, I have to be honest with you. You lie in my bed, in my arms. And tonight I talk to you about truths. We talk about Mummy being poorly, calmly and carefully. I give a little and you listen. And when you didn’t know the words to reply, you just held out your hands to my arms.
And we held each other. I couldn’t make you a promise that everything was going to be alright, but I could promise that I would do my very best and I would always love you and Lewis. I was eight years old trying to fix people. Nacoa has given me the validation. It’s okay to feel all of these feelings. It’s okay to be sad, angry, and feel guilty.
And recovery is something I’ll be going through for the rest of my life. Knowing this now gives me a chance to make the right decisions for my future and hopefully help others on the way. Predominantly Nacoa offer their confidential helpline which can be accessed completely free of charge. There are also 1 to 1 online chat boxes. Personal experiences from Nacoa volunteers to read, message boards to ask for advice from others.
What can you do to help?
Frequently asked questions, links to books and publications, and so much more. Last year, £6 million of funding was cut from the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program, which included the Nacoa Helpline. So what can you do to help? Simply talking about the topic of alcoholism will help to reduce the negative stigma and allow people to feel like they can talk.
Signposting Nacoa by displaying posters and leaflets will show people where they can turn to posting and taking part in fundraising events will continue to raise awareness for the cause. We cannot reduce alcohol harm alone. The more we work together, the faster change will happen and the more lives will be improved and saved.
