Hello! My name is Steve and I am the MD at Abacus. We have just been provisionally contracted by a start-up client with a philanthropic mission who wish to launch a paid service to transform the way in which ordinary members of the public get help with issues around addiction, especially in relation to alcohol to begin with, but all addictions in future (drugs, eating disorders, gambling etc). They wish to use their experience to provide a credible alternative to the 12-step "higher power" programmes offered by AA (that encourage a belief in God), with a focus on science, psychology and inner power as the primary motivating factors in taking control of and transforming their lives. It is a bit like replacing the powerless approach of AA and offering a powerful approach instead - the polar opposite. The target market is of course people who struggle with the concept of HP/God in AA but who still desperately need help. Although the online service will not (unlike AA) be free to access, that cost will be limited to less than £1 per day for the first year only, and then will be free from then on. Any local offline meetings will be self-funding. In time, the business will turn into a trust and all profits will be used for relevant good causes. I am looking for people who may have some form of direct or indirect experience or insight within this arena who would be interested in either joining a group workshop with me and my team and/or being involved in one-to-one discussions with me to help us to uncover insights and discuss potential strategies. This could of course lead to long term engagement. I am not just looking for marketing strategists - just anyone on this platform. It is going to be UK based to begin with, so we will favour people with UK roots, but the sessions will all take place on Zoom, so it doesn't really matter where you live right now. Also, a key premise of this start up is "inclusivity in all its forms" so it will of course appeal to anyone who needs help regardless of age, gender, identity, race, culture, religion, etc.. I appreciate that this is quite an "odd one" and I await with interest to see what response I receive! We are looking for a number of people to begin with to speak to. Probably about 6 or so. Thanks for reading this far, and I look forward to hearing from you! All responses will of course be treated in the utmost confidence and all intel we generate from this exercise will be anonymised. Steve.
