MUSIC SUPPORT: INTRODUCING THE CHARITY WORKING HARD TO HELP THOSE WITHIN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
To mark the start of #mentalhealthawareness week, VG writer and Mental Health Nurse, Claire Rothwell spoke to the team at Music Support; the charity providing help and support for individuals in any area of the UK music industry affected by mental ill health and/or addiction.
As today marked the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Week, we spoke to Music Support, one of the UK’s leading charities offering help to anyone facing addiction and /or mental health challenges in the music and live events industries.
The charity, which will celebrate its 5th birthday this month, was founded in response to there being a clear area of need for people within the music industry to seek support for their difficulties - as well as a gap in the availability of services offering this. Their mission is “to make sure that nobody in the UK music industry is left to be affected alone with mental ill-health or addiction”. They provide support services, and facilitate prevention and earlier intervention through education, training and workshops.
What’s distinctive about Music Support, is that it has been created for those in the music and live events industries, by those who work in the music or live events industries; meaning that everyone involved has a unique insight into how it works and the pressures that it can present. Overseen by a board of seven trustees, some of whom are the founders, the entire service is run by staff and volunteers who have personal and/or lived experience working in the music industry and the issues that affect peers.
Music Support was formed because of a lack of understanding and support for people within the industry struggling with mental ill-health and addiction challenges experienced by some of its founders. It would be easy for somebody outside of the industry to glamorise the fantasy of the hedonistic lifestyle that being a part of the industry appears to represent, however this normalisation and acceptance of addiction can wreak havoc on the lives of those involved and sometimes lead to severe or devastating consequences.
Georgina Levers, Advice and Information Manager of Music Support explains that: “Ten or twenty years ago, it was never really frowned upon that you drank yourself into oblivion. It was just ignored, there was no real support.” Imagine the pressure, build up and incredible hype of performing live in front of a sea of thousands of adoring fans and it’s easy to understand how and why artists and their crew often turn to alcohol and substances, “[They] come off stage, the adrenaline is pumping and there is nothing to do with it. There is often a desire to constantly try to relive that feeling, and that combined with the stress of constantly being on the road can cause huge emotional turmoil.”
Anybody, working within any sector of the industry, can access support through the Charity, and as the Charity knows, this is not just a struggle faced by artists. Georgina goes on to discuss how “lots of people have mental-ill health and / or addiction problems, not just the performers, but also the roadies, backstage crew and management, because of the type of industry that it is – it’s really fast paced, on the road all the time, working late and alcohol and substance misuse are intertwined in the lifestyle.”
A key focus of the charity is to end the stigma around addiction. Although there is always more work to be done, we have fortunately progressed within society to begin to accept and understand mental health challenges and difficulties. However, there continues to be negative perception around addiction and Georgina makes a valid yet saddening point that the word itself is often still being viewed as “dirty”. This further highlights the importance of Music Support’s mission; “We are currently the only charity in the UK in the live events and music industry that supports people with both addiction and mental health challenges.
Although Music Support is still young, they already offer a variety of services and have adapted some of these to move online in order for support to continue throughout the pandemic. This includes a support group for people in 12-Step recovery programmes that has continued via Zoom, regular Webinars that explore and discuss various issues surrounding mental health and addiction - as well as an NHS approved wellness app, Thrive (which includes 100+ hours of Mindfulness, a CBT programme and 24hr text support).
Their helpline runs as a peer-to-peer support line and can act as the listening ear that people need to talk about their challenges surrounding addiction and/or mental health. It also functions as a ‘front door’ for people to make initial contact as the charity is able to refer and signpost to other services for ongoing support. They also offer mental health first training and pre-covid support hubs were regularly set up backstage at festivals for people to engage in their 12-step programme, or “to come and talk, get away from the drinking and the noise and to have a safe space.”
Last month, the charity also held a Webinar event, entitled ‘Women in Isolation’, presented by Rachael Lander, a trustee and also a successful cellist and session musician, lone parent and recovering addict of 13 years. The event explored the struggles faced by many women in the industry during the lockdown period and beyond. Rachael and a panel of guest speakers discussed the challenges of losing an income, passion and purpose, alongside the feelings of isolation Covid has created and how they have managed to maintain their mental health and sobriety. Interestingly, Rachael noted that being an addict in recovery had provided her with a network and “fellowship” of people that she was able to continue to connect with and gain support from.
Another interesting theme highlighted was how to find your identity again during recovery, as addiction or mental health challenges can so often make it difficult for us to know who we really are or provide us with a mask to hide behind. Panellist and musician Lucy Spraggan discussed how lockdown forced her to spend time alone, while in the early stages of recovery from addiction, something which she has also been very honest in talking about via her social media platforms, “I never took time to realise who I am underneath, all the things I cover myself up with”.
Her strength is admirable, and it was inspiring to hear how Lucy was able to transform this potentially difficult and uncertain experience into an opportunity to further develop herself in a positive and uplifting way, by using running and exercising. She described how she had difficulty meditating but was able to create her own form of meditative practice by taking up running, which in turn provided her with a greater connection and respect for her body and physical health.
A constant message we often hear is how to practice self-care, something easily forgotten or missed when caught up in our busy daily lives. A helpful tip and daily routine completed by counsellor and psychotherapist Denise Devonish, who was also on the panel, is to “talk to myself every day – check in, [are] you alright? What do you need?” A simple self-care question which many of us, either in the industry or not, often neglect to ask ourselves.
Despite the ongoing (although thankfully less restrictive) lockdown conditions, Music Support have some exciting things going on this month to celebrate their fifth birthday. Georgina said: “We will be sharing stories of some of the people whose lives have been changed by the charity and inviting our supporters to host their own parties to raise further funds and awareness for our vital work” Music Support also has an exhibition running throughout May called ‘Pressing Matters’, auctioning off artwork on rare and exclusive vinyls and will continue their webinars throughout the rest of the year.
You can learn more about the charity by visiting their website https://musicsupport.org/ which has links to the services and support options mentioned above.
Their helpline is open from Monday to Friday 9am-5pm 0800 030 6789 and you can leave a message or email if outside of these hours.
Research suggests that 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental health difficulty, although there may be many more unknown or unreported cases. This mental health awareness week, please read this and understand that if you are struggling, you are not alone.
If you are affected by issues surrounding addiction or mental health, the following links are accessible to anybody, either in the music industry or not:
Text SHOUT to 85258 - Free, confidential and anonymous text support. See https://giveusashout.org/ for more information.
SAMARITANS - A volunteer led service who will listen. Click https://www.samaritans.org/ or call 116 123 free of charge, from any phone.
PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide - Aimed at children and young people up to the age of 35. See their website for information leaflets, self-help resources and learn more about how they can support you or a loved one: https://www.papyrus-uk.org/
They also offer free, confidential telephone support via their HOPELINE: 0800 068 4141
MIND - Are a mental health charity who provide information, resources and signposting information about mental health. https://www.mind.org.uk/
FRANK - https://www.talktofrank.com/ For information and advice about substance use and links of where to get further help.