I have always been nervous about sharing my story but it’s something I am very passionate about and I hope will encourage other people to make their first steps into recovery. I know for the rest of my life I will continue to fight addiction but having my family and my business has shown that having purpose will keep me focused and driven in overcoming it. Addiction and other social issues often come back to low self worth, self esteem and not feeling good or worthy enough. I am sure this is something most people can relate to at some point in their lives.

When addicts and alcoholics struggle to admit they have a problem it’s mostly because society’s view of addiction makes people feel shame and that it’s something they should feel guilty about. This should not be the way, this approach will only feed the self esteem issues that created the addiction in the first place.

As the founder of Luella Rockerfella I initiated our 'Luella Hat Project' for a number of reasons. Firstly, as a company we want the perception of what addiction is to be discussed and challenged. We want to raise awareness that this issue needs to be addressed without prejudice or ignorance.  People who suffer with addiction are someones brother or sister, mother or father and the effect it can have on families as a whole can be devastating. People forget that addiction exists in all social circles and societies. It could be your lawyer, doctor, a mother at the school gates or a homeless man, addiction isn’t selective. It must be seen is an illness.

Sure, I have heard people say “It’s their own choice” and yes it can be initially but everyone in this World has made a bad choice at some point in their life. It just so happens that this bad choice often only has three possible outcomes; jail, institutions or death. This is unless addiction sufferers seek help and it is this facilitation of support that local charity The Silkworth Trust (drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility) offers that makes us want to be involved and support where we can. We want the World to view addiction with compassion, with a kind heart, if people approach this with more love and support sufferers will be much more likely to succeed in their recovery.

Getting the female wing of the prison in Jersey (Channel Islands) involved in the project was another driving factor in getting the project up and running. A high percentage of crime commited by women is as of a result of addiction and alcoholism, which means if we can help fight addiction and support these women, we can encourage positive life changes.

The project is here to raise awareness and encourage compassion towards suffering addicts, all the profits from these hats will go to the Charity, The Silkworth Trust in order to help fund the rehabilitation of sufferers.

Addiction has brought me personally to many dark places. One key low time was when I had an accident whilst in active addiction. I overdosed and fell on top of a lamp which resulted in horrific injuries. The lamp bulb slowly burned through to my head whilst I slipped further into unconsciousness completely unaware of the damage being done. The accident resulted in extensive burns and the loss of nearly 50% of my hair. Recovery from my accident took three and a half years of reconstructive surgery and due to the nature of my injury I had to become VERY creative with my head wear!  So this project seemed to come full circle for me and to incorporate my story with this project seemed a poignant message.

When you see the addict in the street or in the boardroom, the Instagram model who looks like she has it all,  just remember everyone is human, everyone has a story and a daily struggle which we often know little about – so please don’t judge. If you want to help to support people with addiction ‘one hat at a time’ please purchase one of our hats and wear it with pride. If you are suffering with addiction yourself I hope my honest portrayal of my struggles will encourage you to get help and build a future you love, just like I have been able to.

Be kind you never know what others are going through.

Lauren Burnett

Founder of Luella Rockerfella