Jaz Rai OBE
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
In the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2021 Jaz Rai, founder and chair of the Sikh Recovery Network, has become an OBE for his services to the Sikh community during Covid-19.
After battling his own problems, Mr Rai, 50, set up the Sikh Recovery Network, which supports people of his faith and others who are battling drink and drug problems.
He started the charity in 2016 at the Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) in Stanhope Street after he reached rock bottom through his own addiction to alcohol, which saw him drinking up to a litre of vodka a day at one stage.
The Rolls-Royce worker, who says he is humbled by being recognised for an honour, says that the numbers of people seeking help have increased during the pandemic – at a time when it is harder than ever to attend groups and meetings for help.
Mr Rai said: “People have been really struggling, and it is not just men coming forward for help but women as well. It has been hard work making sure that everyone gets help. The pandemic has created many problems and raised fears and anxieties which have resulted in some people relapsing and others taking to drink or drugs because of pressures. Cases have been coming through in peaks and troughs, but it is definitely there are more people seeking help now than in 2019.”
Father-of-two Mr Rai, who says he was so addicted to drinking that his body once went into an alcohol-induced fit when he stopped drinking for a few hours after a week-long binge, says he has empathy for people in the same situation.
He added that due to the taboo of addiction in the Punjabi-Sikh community, his family would hide his problem from others, which made things even worse. “Setting up the charity helps me and allows me to give back to the community. I got my life back and never set the charity up to receive
accolades, but I am overwhelmed that someone will have nominated me for this honour and I am really happy and proud, as are my family.”
The charity has been so successful that there are now groups in Leicester, Birmingham, Coventry and London. Last year, he was given a Points of Light Award for his work by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street.
The Sikh Recovery Network support group runs every Friday between 7pm and 8.30pm anyone who is struggling is welcome. You can contact the team on 07830 525756.