It’s been a busy couple of weeks working on Recovery Voices projects. I’ve been editing films and writing summaries of Wulf’s Zoom conversations with Tim Leighton, formerly of Action of Addiction, and Rhoda Emlyn Jones, Founder of Option 2 and Integrated Family Support Services (IFSS) in Wales. You’ll see this content in the coming weeks, when Rhoda and Tim have had a chance to work through what I have sent them and given their approval.
I also had my own Zoom conversations with Michelle Foster, CEO of The Basement Recovery Recovery Project, the week before last and Marcus Fair, Founder of Eternal Media, last week. I’ve been looking forward to having a chat with both of these inspiring recovery advocates for some time. I knew Michelle personally, but had never met Marcus in person when we chatted via Zoom.
I’m taking some time off from film editing and writing summaries to get back to working on my book, but you’ll see details of these conversations in the coming weeks. However, I thought I’d remind you of—or introduce you to—Marcus’s amazing addiction story, which he described in conversation with Wulf. I still marvel at how Marcus survived a 25-year addiction to heroin and crack cocaine.
‘”It was 25 years, just looking like a skull on a stick.” Eating every three days, if he remembered, and if he could get into the local garage to rob something. He’d travel around the country buying heroin. He used to wear out towns, rather quickly, because of the amount of crime in which he was involved. He had to keep moving on. He didn’t access any treatment because you had to wait at least six weeks to see anyone. And if he was in a place long enough, they’d give him methadone…’
Not only that, Marcus has gone on to develop Eternal Media and a wide variety of recovery-related initiatives, as well as be a talented filmmaker.
In this blog post, I strongly recommend two parts of Marcus’s Story as revealed in his conversation with Wulf.
A Disease of Obsession [4’33”]
My Class A Drug Addiction [9’34”]
And if want to learn more about Marcus’s Story, check out his People page on this website.
PS. Marcus is on the left of the top photo. Here is his Biography:
Marcus Fair survived a 25-year addiction to heroin and crack cocaine. His first paid gig was as a playwright, before he relapsed and ended up in prison again. There, he realised that his life was being saved by him doing the prison radio and some filming. If this could happen to him, it could do a lot for other people. He planned what he could do to help others. He made a film, Flipped It!, for North Wales Police which was widely acclaimed. He set up Eternal Media, which makes high impact documentary films and empowers and mentors volunteer film crews, which comprise people who are rebuilding their lives whilst recovering from addiction and/or an involvement in crime.