After having taken a week off from her eponymous talk show for health reasons, Wendy Williams returned to the studio today to help launch a hotline for those struggling with addiction.
"We must all come together to respond to this crisis of addiction and substance abuse. Everyone is at risk from the inner cities to more affluent communities," Williams said in a press statement. "My family and I are very proud to partner with T.R.U.S.T. to get people the help that they so desperately need, especially if they or their families have given up hope. There is hope."
Launched by Williams' Hunter Foundation, the hotline, 1-888-5HUNTER (1-888-548-6837), is designed to provide resources to those struggling with or affected by addiction and substance abuse through education and awareness. The 24-hour hotline is staffed with Certified Recovery Coaches that are trained to assess and match callers with specialized lists of short and long-term treatment facilities like detox, rehabilitation, sober living and outpatient centers. Callers will also be assessed based on level of care needed, the type of substance that is being abused, and financial circumstances in order to match them with the facility that best suits them.
In the past, Williams has been candid about her struggles with substance abuse: "once you're a substance abuser, you have to battle that for the rest of your life." She went on to say during a taping of the show last week that "you can't just clean it up and stop it and think that it's not going to affect you." According to the CDC, 70,237 people died from overdose deaths in 2017 with 47,600 of those deaths being opioid related.
Photo via BFA