An inside look at TfL’s award winning approach to tackling addiction in the workplace

Liz Darlison and Foziah Bashir explore how TfL supports employees affected by addiction.

This Rail Wellbeing Live 2026 session offers an honest and powerful look at how Transport for London supports employees affected by addiction. Designed to sit alongside the video recording, the session brings together professional expertise and lived experience to show what good workplace support can look like in practice.

The session is led by Liz Darlison, Manager of TfL’s Drug and Alcohol Treatment Service (DATS), and joined by Foziah, a train operator on the Northern line. Together, they explore how addiction can affect working lives, why people are often afraid to ask for help, and how the right support at work can save careers and lives.

Why this work matters

Liz begins by explaining why DATS exists and why it is so important in a safety critical environment like the railway. Following a major rail crash in 1991, drug and alcohol testing became a legal requirement for safety critical staff. DATS was created to ensure that employees who needed help had a safe and supported route to get it.

“Our aim is to safely and timely return employees back to the workplace, predominantly to their substantive role,” Liz explains. “And without doubt, this service has saved lives, the lives of families and the generations that follow.”

Since the early 1990s, DATS has supported over 3,000 employees. The service has evolved over time and now includes support for drugs, alcohol and gambling.

A personal story of addiction and recovery

At the heart of the session is Foziah’s story. She first came to DATS in 2005 while on probation at TfL, after years of using drugs and alcohol to cope with emotional pain.

“I was completely disconnected from myself and the world,” she says. “I had two young children at home and I was just holding on by the skin of my teeth.”

Like many people, Foziah was afraid to come forward. She worried about losing her job, being judged and what might happen to her family. Even when she spoke to her manager, she admits she did not tell the full story at first.

“I thought my children might get taken away from me,” she says. “I thought I’d lose my job.”

What helped her take that first step was trust and reassurance. She was told clearly that her job was safe while she engaged with the DATS process.

“You could physically see people relax,” Liz explains. “Just hearing again that their job is safe makes a big difference.”

How DATS works in practice

The session explains how DATS supports employees on a case by case basis. The focus is always on safety and on what each individual needs to recover and return to work safely.

Foziah describes her early experience of treatment as difficult and frightening. She did not yet understand addiction or recovery and felt exposed and vulnerable. Even so, she returned to work and remained drug and alcohol free for several years.

“I didn’t pick up a drink or a drug,” she says. “But everything else was still very much going on inside me.”

After a relapse, Foziah returned to DATS in 2011. This second journey led to significant improvements in how the service supports employees, including clearer contracts, stronger aftercare and long term abstinence agreements balanced with stronger support.

Recovery over a lifetime

One of the key messages in the session is that recovery is not a one off event. In 2025, Foziah returned to DATS again during a period of extreme personal pressure involving menopause and her son’s mental health crisis.

“I wanted to change the way I felt,” she says. “And I knew I needed to ask for help.”

This time, she did not need residential treatment. She needed one to one support and a safe space to talk.

“It was exactly what I needed,” she explains. “A safe space to share things I wasn’t comfortable sharing elsewhere.”

Her story also highlights the link between menopause, mental health and relapse risk, an issue that is often overlooked in workplace wellbeing.

Messages for managers and organisations

The live questions at the end of the session offer practical guidance for managers. Liz encourages leaders to be direct but compassionate, and to seek expert advice rather than trying to manage complex situations alone.

“Use the words,” she says. “Drugs, alcohol. If it comes from a caring place, it will be received that way.”

Foziah also speaks directly to managers, reflecting on her own experience:

“Every manager I’ve dealt with has treated me with kindness and compassion. Not one ever treated me as less than.”

A final message of hope

The session closes with a clear and hopeful message for anyone who may be struggling.

“If there is anybody out there suffering,” Foziah says, “reach out. Find someone you trust. You don’t need to carry it alone.”

This session is essential viewing for anyone working in rail, safety critical roles or wellbeing. It shows that when organisations respond with care, clarity and consistency, recovery at work is not only possible, it can be life changing.

Watch the full session to hear the story in full and learn more about TfL’s award winning approach to tackling addiction in the workplace.