Actor and comedian Russell Brand has launched a fund to help those recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.

Brand recently announced that he has set up the Give It Up Fund, which is managed by Comic Relief, to aid those leaving alcohol and drug rehabilitation centres to reintegrate into their local communities.

“It’s integral that people entering a life of abstinence after the chaos of addiction have stability, support and a role to play in the wider community,” the British Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor told the PA.

“With this fund, we have the opportunity to perform a kind of social alchemy, turning hapless – often smelly – junkies into helpful busy bodies, pottering about and contributing.”