Looking Back at 2025: Progress and Real Change in Ethical Addiction Treatment

As 2025 wraps up, it feels right to pause and look at what this year really meant for us at the Ethical Marketing Campaign for Addiction Treatment (EMCAT). When we kicked things off in mid-2024, our goal was simple: protect people from shady practices in addiction treatment. We’ve gone after unethical marketing, patient brokering, misleading ads, and sloppy data handling. This year, things started to shift - not just talk, but real progress. Regulators stepped in, new rules landed, partnerships grew, and more people now recognise what should be obvious: anyone reaching out for help deserves honesty, respect, and care that puts their needs above someone else’s profits.

Big Moments and Hard-Won Victories

One of the biggest changes this year? Tougher oversight across the board. Back in May, we spotlighted Scotland’s new rule: after June 19, running unregistered remote or independent healthcare services became a criminal offense. No more loopholes for patient brokers to slip through.

We worked side by side with the Advertising Standards Authority. In July, their ruling against Detox Today sent a clear message: services need to be described honestly. Providers can’t blur the lines between what they do themselves and what’s handed off to third parties. After we raised the alarm, Yell also tightened their ad policies, making it harder for misleading health and wellbeing ads to slip through.

Data protection stayed high on our list. We welcomed the ICO’s push for “report early - update later” on data breaches, and we pressed providers to double-check every data-sharing deal with brokers. Full consent and legal compliance aren’t optional.

Launching the EMCAT Code of Ethics

April brought a big milestone. We launched the UK’s first Code of Ethics for addiction treatment marketing, drawing on international best practices and making sure it fits with UK laws like the CAP Code and GDPR. The Code draws a line: no patient brokering, no shady ads, no taking advantage of vulnerable people, and no mishandling personal data. This is the standard we want everyone to follow - one that puts people first, always.

Pushing for Real Change

December brought a strong show of support. The Local Government Association, alongside EMCAT and Collective Voice, called for a legal ban on patient brokering. We made it clear: turning people in crisis into commodities just drives up costs, puts people in the wrong places, and pushes ethical providers aside. We’re backing the push for penalties for those who profit from brokering, and we’re fighting for a single, trusted national gateway to safe, appropriate help.

There were other wins, too. NHS England and the DHSC finally released a national framework that truly brings together mental health and substance use care. Updated clinical guidelines now give long-term residential rehab the recognition it’s always deserved.

All year, we shared the numbers and research that matter: from ONS data on drug use, to studies on why opioid addiction can hit women harder, to reminders that alcohol harms cost the NHS £4.9 billion every year.

What Comes Next

We’re proud of what’s changed - from ASA crackdowns to updated platform policies, to politicians and providers finally listening - but we’re not done. Misleading listings on Google Maps, hidden commercial ties, and the constant threat of recovery being treated like a business deal are still out there.

We’ll keep working with regulators, local authorities, providers, charities, and - most importantly - people with lived experience. Our goal stays the same: make ethical marketing the rule, not the rare exception.

If you spoke up, changed your practices, shared your story, or just helped us spread the word - thank you. Your voice makes a difference.

Spot something off in addiction treatment ads or practices? Reach out at emcat@emcat.org. Let’s make sure people looking for help find real, honest, compassionate care.

Here’s to a safer, fairer, more ethical 2026 - and beyond.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!