All Posts

30th November 2023

Demoralisation in a Treatment Service: Huseyin Djemil

There were things they could do that would help not just their clients, but also themselves. Huseyin found though his questionnaire that many of the practitioners were thinking of leaving, despite only being in the job for six months. And they had taken over from someone who...
29th November 2023

Remembering My Friend Bradley Miah-Phillips RIP

'All that he had been gifted, he gave to others. Those whom he saved; the colleagues he worked with; and the people who loved him will never forget his humility and self-sacrifice. That is how he will be remembered; not for the things he did for himself but for what he did for...'
28th November 2023

Recovery Advocacy, Part 3

After seeing one person deciding to take the journey to recovery (successfully) after visiting the Towards Recovery cafe and talking with half a dozen people, Huseyin Djemil wondered what would the impact be of having a recovery conference in Henley. The first Towards Recovery conference took place in 2013.
27th November 2023

A Letter to Alcohol: Beth Burgess

'I needed to change myself, something you would never let me do. You made me isolate myself from all the other healthy relationships I could have and things I could be doing, with the promise that you could solve it all. And I know you can make me feel like you have all the answers, but you come at such a price and I know it is not worth it.'
24th November 2023

Mutual Aid, Part 2

James Deakin points out that members of North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC) are given a variety of mutual aid options. If the person can't relate to the 12-Step approach, they can try Smart Recovery, and if that doesn't work they can try CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) or ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Theory).
23rd November 2023

‘Healing Trauma’ Section: Relationships, Safety & Reciprocity

Bruce Perry emphasises the importance of relationships: trauma can shatter human connections. 'As a result, recovery from trauma and neglect is also all about relationships—rebuilding trust, regaining confidence, returning to a sense of security and reconnecting to love.
22nd November 2023

Working in the Treatment System: James Deakin

James Deakin spent a number of years working in the mental health and addiction field before deciding that he had become disillusioned by the organisations and the commissioning process. At the same time, he loved working with 'clients' and was inspired by people like...
21st November 2023

Recovery Voices Website Testimonials

'The new resource Recovery Voices digs into the lives and experiences of people who, in recovery themselves, spend time with others seeking, or in, recovery from addictions. In identifying themes, it draws out the rich diversity of experiences, showing how there is no single 'grand narrative' of recovery, no single 'recipe', just lots of...'
20th November 2023

A Miraculous Discovery!?: David McCartney

After a few months, David stopped taking his pills. He thought he could have a social drink, but this turned out to be a disaster. He went back to work, but the craving continued. One day, David found that if he took codeine his craving for alcohol disappeared. He thought he had...
17th November 2023

Recovery Advocacy & The System: Wendy Dossett

When you are independent of the system you are treated with less respect, and even disrespected by the system—‘you don’t know what you are doing, you are a bunch of amateurs, you’re not professional, or you’re not subject to any regulations…’ You are dismissed for speaking out...
16th November 2023

Luck, Legwork & The Future: Marcus Fair

Eternal Media are developing a variety of things for the future, including the new building space and gardens, purchasing lots of tents for filmmaking retreats, and starting a variety of new projects. They are committed to doing a number of recovery-related activities, like the...
15th November 2023

The Power of Hope

David McCartney describes how a doctor on the British Doctors and Dentists Group helpline told him about his recovery. That story connected with David in a way that the tablets he had previously been prescribed for his addiction had not. The story gave him hope. When asked what he felt was the essence of recovery...
14th November 2023

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

I write briefly about the relationship between our emotional experiences as children and our physical and mental health as adults. The pioneering research focusing on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) was conducted by Dr. Vincent Felitti and his colleagues in the US in the 1990s.
13th November 2023

A Recovery Speech: Adam Brookes

'Here, I learnt to live again, to cope with life without drugs. I learnt to have normal interactions with other people. I lost the feeling of isolation I had always felt and found a sense of belonging. I felt loved and cared for. I shared experiences and a vision. Most importantly, I found hope. Through the 12-step programme, counselling, the...'
10th November 2023

Changing Face of Treatment and Recovery: Wulf Livingston

Recovering people were taken on in treatment services as peer supporters or support workers. Now that recovering people had jobs within the treatment system, they couldn’t advocate for radical recovery in the same way they had when they were outside the system.