Something new is happening at the Sport Clips Haircuts National Huddle this year, it’s Sober Pros – opportunities for those living sober lifestyles to meet, enjoy activities together, and support one another in zero-proof harmony. Sport Clips is stepping up and offering what many businesses overlook – the need to provide safe spaces for team members who struggle with substance use disorders.
If this includes you, you’re among the more than 21 million Johns Hopkins reports as being affected by substance use disorder in the U.S. It’s no secret in the beauty community that, “Beauty is forever intertwined with glamour, and romanticizing the age-old notion of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll…” and it “…isn’t likely to disappear anytime soon,” according to Refinery29. But it is often kept a secret at work because less than 10 percent of those experiencing addiction use seek treatment. And Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare shares that stigma around addiction is so deeply rooted, that more than 20% of substance users avoid treatment out of fear of repercussions at work.
Sport Clips decided to tackle this reality head on and offered Artistic Team Member Meghan Blanchette the platform to share her personal journey through addiction and recovery with the thousands gathered at last year’s Huddle in Nashville. She told the hushed crowd that a near death experience opened her eyes to the reality of her addiction struggle and that, through her recovery, she made the decision to have a semi-colon punctuate her story…not a period.
“I want to recover loudly and remove the stigma of addiction,” Meghan says. “After my time on stage I had so many people reach out to me, several have gotten semi-colon tattoos and one store had shirts printed with a semi-colon inside a heart that says ‘You Are Enough’ for its team members to wear. Even Gordon Logan, the founder and chairman of Sport Clips, reached out to me to talk about what the franchise can do as a system to support other team members who may be struggling.”
Meghan says after she completed treatment, she would seek out the company of pregnant women when she was attending gatherings knowing they would be safe because they likely wouldn’t be drinking. Sober Pros will create a much larger “safe” community of others having fun without alcohol.
“Years ago, when I first applied for Sport Clips, the manager I interviewed with understood and respected my need for my meetings and recovery. Over the years, working in my store, my team leaders supported my involvement in events to support recovery in my community,” says Coach Veronica Jordan. “Now on a company level, my career adds to the values by normalizing recovery and providing a safe fun place for not just my recovery but others at our National Huddle. I could not be prouder of the brand I represent.”
Sober Pros events include the Zero Proof Bar during social events, the opportunity to meditate with other team members and a special, alcohol-free zone of fun and games to relax and unwind. Through this variety of Sober Pros events, Sport Clips is making it clear that the party’s not over just because you’re sober
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