All Posts

24th July 2026

Hats Off To The Eleven: Rich Price

So, on Saturday 25th July, seven organisations, predominantly from North Wales, will be represented on the Lakeland 50 start line by eleven individuals, largely people in recovery from addiction and many other forms of adversity. It’s a tough undertaking, make no bones...
22nd July 2026

The Emergence of North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC)

James submitted a funding application for the DWP’s (Department of Work and Pensions) Flexible Support Funding programme run through his local Job Centre. He set up a charity, North Wales Recovery Communities...
21st July 2026

David’s New Book

The impressive success of NWRC rests on the foundation of people in recovery helping others overcome their addiction. The book highlights the importance of a variety of factors in facilitating recovery, in particular the role of connection and relationships. It shows how NWRC...
16th July 2026

Three New Story Posts: Rob Havelock and Lianne Jones

I just wanted to let you know that I have just added three posts to the Stories section of the website that relate to the conversation that my colleague Wulf Livingston had with Rob Havelock and Lianne Jones in March last year.
15th July 2026

Journey Into Recovery: Kevin Morris

Now, I was connecting with people and my emotions, and learning more about the latter. I felt a massive sense of achievement in giving back to others and learning about myself. The connections with these other people and the sense of belonging I experienced were very different...
14th July 2026

Advocating Recovery-Oriented Care

Grassroots recovery community organizations and new recovery support institutions offer vehicles for long-term recovery support that bridge the clinic and the community. The clinic can bolster the will to recover and the means to recover, but it is the community that must...
13th July 2026

Ego, Humility and Giving Back: Rob Havelock & Lianne Jones

Rob compares his recovery journey with being in the mountains. You’ve got a map and compass to get yourself up and down a mountain. On the other hand, you’ve got your Big Book and sponsor as your moral compass and guide on your recovery journey. Remaining teachable...
13th July 2026

Changing LifeStyle: Rob Havelock & Lianne Jones

When Rob was on a Hill Skills course, the mountain leader, Alex, suggested that Rob become a mountain leader. When Rob replied, ‘What the hell’s a mountain leader?’, he was told that he was a natural with ‘a map and compass’ and in helping the other participants.
13th July 2026

Addiction & Early Recovery: Rob Havelock & Lianne Jones

He was always guilty of romanticising a life which involved him sitting in a pub with his pint, being Jack the Lad, and enjoying the company of his mates. He soon relapsed into drinking. However, he found only a short-lasting enjoyment from alcohol.
13th July 2026

Retirement Reflections: Crumbs and Gold Dust

The alcohol and drug landscape continues to remain dominated by policy and practice seeking to ‘treat’ people. Despite the oft heard phrase - ‘it is easy to get off and much harder to stay off’ - we still have a world where...
9th July 2026

How Outside Activities Facilitate Recovery: Rob Havelock & Lianne Jones

When he was on a mountain, all Rob’s senses seemed to be opening up. There was something there that he can’t explain in relation to that spiritual aspect that all people need to find in recovery, in some form or other. Rob got in a spiritual state from being in the mountains.
9th July 2026

What Makes NWRC Work?: Rob Havelock & Lianne Jones

In her early days at Penrhyn, people there loved Lianne when she didn’t love herself. They gave her encouragement that she had never previously received. All the good things she experienced added up over time and helped her get more and more involved in the...
9th July 2026

Being a Couple in Recovery: Rob Havelock & Lianne Jones

Rob agrees with Wulf that he and Lianne were an exception to the commonly held view that romantic relationships don’t work for people who are in early recovery. He points out that their relationship put them in a somewhat difficult situation. ‘What did we say to other...