There is no getting away from the fact that, much as we have all had our lives affected by Covid, children and young people have had a particularly hard time of it.

The loss of those childhood freedoms most of us took for granted at that age: running round a playground with friends, going to the cinema, going on holiday, going to school even, all disappeared for months on end.

But think for a moment how much worse it has been for children in families that are impacted by addiction.

Being in lockdown with a parent who is doing drugs; having to cope with the mood swings and aggression from a parent who consumes too much alcohol, or trying to communicate with a parent who is completely wrapped up in the world of placing bets online.

And, as Thea Ozenturk, chief executive of addiction charity, Motiv8, points out, many youngsters will have lost that informal help outside of the family that they had previously been able to rely on.

She says: ’Can you imagine what it’s been like for children with parents who drink too much, not having any of the usual support that they may have had, like a neighbour or an aunt or even just a friend?’

Motiv8 offers a wide range of services to support youngsters in this position and there has been great demand for them. Over the lockdown period, sessions with children and young people increased by more than 50%: counsellors from Motiv8 even carried out ’garden visits’ to especially vulnerable families.

Mrs Ozenturk says: ’Covid meant a lot of online work going on but still some face to face for those in immediate need. There’s been a lot of mental health issues and people have been really struggling.’

Motiv8 was founded in 1978 as the Isle of Man Alcohol Advisory Service, helping individuals struggling with addiction. The name has changed as the charity has evolved to deal with addiction to drugs and gambling as well.

Mrs Ozenturk explains: ’We are a registered charity and are also contracted by the Isle of Man Government to run services.

’Our team consists of professional counsellors, people that are in recovery and a psychologist, about 13 people in all, seeing people with drug, alcohol and gambling problems and their families. The recovery network is also happening in our groups where we have around 1,500 attendances a year.

’If you want recovery there’s a lot available.’

Its Family Service began more recently, set up with an initial grant from the Lottery. It now covers 5,000 appointments a year. When funding ran out in October last year the service, which does not receive government support, was faced with closure, something which Mrs Ozenturk, having seen its benefits, describes as ’unthinkable’.

She says: ’We’re not as popular as some of the bigger fundraisers on the island and we’ve had to play a balancing act so that we remain anonymous enough and under the radar enough for people to feel that they can approach us.’

And, as she points out: ’We can’t very well go and do pub quizzes and that sort of thing to raise money. It’s a case of who we are.’

Fortunately the Henry Bloom Noble Healthcare Trust came to the rescue with a £100,000 grant. This included £25,000 gifted by an anonymous donor for this specific purpose. This endorsement has since led to two further grants, £50,000 from the Lloyds Foundation, and £150,000 from Gamesys which have secured the future of the service for the next few years.

Another valuable way in which Motiv8 helps youngsters is through YP@MiniMotiv8, an early intervention service usually following an arrest for a minor drug or alcohol offence, which sees them receiving counselling instead of going through the legal system. More than 250 young people every year are helped in this way.

Mrs Ozenturk says: ’It’s brilliant because, years ago, you would have gone to court for that and it would have changed your life. It would have stopped you doing a career you wanted, like medicine or going into the police force, or going travelling.

’But now you get free confidential counselling and advice. Most of them haven’t got a problem, they’re kids, they’re experimenting and they come out the other side.’

The individuals and families that Motiv8 supports come from all walks of life: ’Everybody knows somebody who’s been affected by addiction,’ says Mrs Ozenturk.

She adds: ’As a charity we have definitely grown. Our referrals have grown massively and I do think that now it’s becoming more acceptable to talk about issues like addiction. It’s like mental health: people are more willing to come forward now.

’The stigma and the embarrassment still exist but I don’t think to as great a degree because everybody knows somebody that’s been impacted.

’It’s become something to be proud of, to be in recovery.’