The Employment Programme for the Rehabilitation of Alcoholics and other Addicts, founded in New York in 1977, is a not-for- profit vocational rehabilitation service for men and women who are recovering from alcoholism and other addictions. Now established in the United Kingdom by EPRA (UK), the first training course was run in July 2000 at the Guildford Institute of the University of Surrey. 

EPRA grew out of the recognition that recovering alcoholics and addicts frequently have unclear ideas of how their addiction affected their working lives. While they sincerely want to look for work, they are often immobilised by fear about their abilities to perform in a working environment. They frequently have fragmented employment histories, low self esteem and have internalised social stereotyping of alcoholics or addicts, all of which hinders their employment opportunities. 

Over the past decade 2000 to 2010 EPRA UK has helped many people back to work, but the current recession has brought new problems and new costs, particularly in travel. For this reason EPRA UK is starting a new initiative to replace the training courses, drawing on the experience of addicts who have managed to turn their misadventure into literature.

In so doing they have poduced works of great value to others and to the academic community. EPRA UK cannot yet offer these these real-life studies at a discounted price to EPRA UK members, but see the opposite panel for details.

Two books on addiction to alcohol, written by addicts in successful recovery, will be announced here shortly. We hope they will be an inspiration for those seeking help, and also for others who will write their own stories and in so doing take meaningful steps on the road to their own lasting recovery.

It is said that everyone has at least one book in them. It is also true that the book may not be a best seller or even a good read; but the two we are offering to start the series off are exceptional in their insight and literary quality.

They will be made available through this web site in August 2010, in paperback and hardcover versions. Click here!

EPRA UK members with personal experience of addiction will be invited to contribute their own manuscripts in due course which may be submitted under strict codes of confidentiality for assessment by the EPRA UK committee.

In the event the authors and EPRA UK reach agreement on how to proceed, there may be a possibility of electronic publishing online or, in the case of manuscrips that could demand a wide readership, of publication in paperback.

Those who would like to submit manuscripts which they believe would help themselves and others should contact EPRA in August 2010

THE EPRA (UK) COMMITTEE 

EPRA NEW YORK, USA