Workplace Policy Expertise
Alcohol, Drugs & Gambling
Building policies that work. Grounded in lived experience, academic rigour and commercial realism.
Chris Howarth | Founder & Consultant chris@chrishowarthconsulting.com
CIPD Affiliate | Founder of Making Changes® | MA Comparative Drug & Alcohol Studies
CIPD Certified in ‘Leading Organisational Design and Development Accredited Programme’
“Most organisations have a policy. Very few have one that works. The difference lies in how it is built, communicated and lived — and in whether the people leading it truly understand what they are dealing with.”
Who Is This For
CH Consulting works with medium and large organisations across sectors including financial services, professional services, technology, construction, hospitality and the NHS.
The practice is particularly well-suited to organisations where:
• High-performance culture creates conditions for stress-related misuse
• Alcohol and/or gambling are normalised in professional or social settings
• A policy exists but is not functioning effectively
• A recent incident or near-miss has prompted a review
• HR or leadership teams want a credible, independent partner — someone who brings both professional standing and personal authenticity
The Problem
Alcohol misuse, substance dependency and problem gambling are among the most significant — and most consistently underestimated — causes of lost productivity, absence and talent attrition in UK organisations today.
Research from the CIPD and UK Government indicates that, “alcohol-related sickness absence alone costs the UK economy up to £6.4 billion annually in lost output”. A growing body of evidence points to problem gambling as an equally hidden and damaging issue, particularly in high-pressure, high-earning work environments.
Most organisations recognise the problem in the abstract. Fewer have the framework, the training, or the culture to act on it with any consistency. The result is predictable: capable employees lost to untreated dependency, managers ill-equipped to respond, legal exposure from poorly handled disciplinary cases, and a cultural silence that makes early intervention almost impossible.
A Different Approach
CH Consulting works with organisations to design and implement alcohol, drug and gambling policies that are not just compliant — but genuinely effective. The difference is in the foundation. This practice is built on:
• 12.5 years of personal sobriety from alcohol and drug dependency, providing the kind of insight into behaviour, shame, denial and recovery that no textbook can replicate
• A Master of Arts degree with Merit in Comparative Drug and Alcohol Studies from Middlesex University, with a dissertation that underpins the Making Changes recovery programme
• The Making Changes Programme — a registered, trademarked recovery methodology developed and delivered on a 1-2-1 and group basis through charity and private channels
• 15+ years in high-pressure commercial sales environments — including senior enterprise software roles — navigating workplace cultures where alcohol, and increasingly gambling, were deeply embedded in professional life
• Early career experience in manual trades — industries where substance misuse rates are among the highest in the UK workforce — providing rare credibility with organisations in construction, logistics and similar sectors
• CIPD Affiliate Membership and the Leading Organisational Design and Development accreditation — ensuring every recommendation is grounded in recognised best practice and fully aligned with UK employment law
“This is not a theoretical practice. It is built on lived experience, academic rigour and commercial realism”
The Core Belief
Workplaces are one of the most powerful environments for early detection, intervention and sustainable recovery. An employee who is supported — rather than managed out — does not just recover. They often become among the most loyal, resilient and committed members of a team.
At the same time, organisations have legal obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and reputational and commercial exposure that cannot be ignored. Effective policy is not just the right thing to do — it is a sound business decision.
“Compassion and accountability are not in conflict. A well-designed policy holds both together”
Services
From awareness sessions to full organisational transformation — a structured pathway to meaningful change.
Awareness Session One
Keynote / Lunch & Learn | 1 hour | £400–£700
An engaging, evidence-led session for leadership teams or all-employee events. Covers the business case for effective policy, the reality of workplace substance misuse and gambling, and what good practice looks like. Delivered in-person or virtually.
Awareness Session Two
Manager Awareness Workshop | Half Day | £800–£1,300
Practical, scenario-based training for line managers and HR professionals. Covers how to recognise the signs of substance misuse or problem gambling, how to initiate a sensitive conversation, and how to follow correct procedure.
Awareness Session Three
Manager Training Programme | Full day | £1,500–£2,500
An extended version of the half-day workshop, including role-play exercises, policy review and action planning. Suitable for organisations wanting to equip a management cohort with sustainable skills.
Diagnostic Phase
Policy Health Check | £1,000–£2,000
A review of the organisation’s current policy — or an assessment of the gap where one does not exist — benchmarked against CIPD model frameworks. Delivered remotely, with a written report and priority recommendations.
Diagnostic & Strategy Phase | 3-9 Months
A comprehensive audit across three dimensions — People (absenteeism, performance, disciplinary records), Process (stress-inducing workplace structures) and Culture (normalisation of risk behaviours) — followed by employee consultation and a Strategic Recommendations Report with a data-driven business case demonstrating the commercial ROI of full implementation.
Organisation Size / Investment:
• Up to 100 employees: £7,500–£10,000
• 100–500 employees: £10,000–£15,000
• 500+ employees: £15,000–£22,000
Full Policy Implementation
Full Policy & Implementation | 6–12 months
End-to-end design, implementation and embedding of a comprehensive workplace policy that doesn’t just exist on paper — from manager training cohorts to employee communication campaigns and cultural change programmes.
This tier is designed for organisations that want lasting, embedded cultural change — not a document that sits in a drawer.
Investment (depending on organisation size and complexity):
• £40,000–£125,000
*Pricing for this is bespoke and tailored for each organisation.
Ongoing Retainer
Sustainable partnership to ensure policy remains active, responsive and integrated into your organisation’s evolving culture on an ongoing basis.
Details: Includes policy reviews, new manager induction training, complex case consultation and outcome reporting.
Investment:
• £1,500–£4,000/month
The Making Changes® Programme
A structured eight-stage recovery programme for individuals with dependency issues.
Within a Consulting Engagement
Within a consulting engagement, Making Changes provides a direct, structured pathway for employees who have been identified as needing support — bridging the gap between policy referral and meaningful recovery. It sits alongside, and complements, existing Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provision.
What Sets This Practice Apart
CH Consulting is unique in its capabilities, which is evident when compared with typical HR Consultancies and Addiction Charities
Lived experience of recovery
Academic qualification in drug & alcohol studies
Corporate high-pressure environment experience
Trade / blue-collar sector understanding
CIPD-accredited HR & OD framework
Proprietary Making Changes recovery programme
Gambling issues/addiction as a core specialism
Data-driven diagnostic and ROI modelling
Note: Making Changes® is a registered trademark of Chris Howarth (UK Trademark No. UK00003597537)
A Note on Confidentiality
Every engagement is conducted with full confidentiality as a non-negotiable condition. Employee data, audit findings and organisational insights are never shared beyond the engagement team. This commitment to psychological safety is not just ethical practice — it is the foundation on which trust, and therefore any meaningful change, is built.
Contact Us
If the challenges described are relevant to your organisation — or if you are simply curious about what a more effective approach might look like — a no-obligation initial conversation is the natural starting point.