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‘… you are dealing with a group of people who are experiencing for the first-time emotions and experiences without, in a sense, an aesthetic and without entrenched coping skills. If a client disappoints you, then you need to look at your own expectations, and your understanding...’

'Noreen's unwavering commitment to her cause was truly remarkable. She fearlessly challenged politicians, tirelessly pushing for reform and improvement in every corner possible. In 1998, she established the BAC with just two rooms in Burton-on-Trent and a mission to make...'

Tim Leighton introduced Bill by describing his enormous contribution to the field. The latter gave an awesome two-part presentation in the morning on ‘Recovery Advocacy, Recovery Management and Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care.’ After my presentation, ‘The Importance of Community in Facilitating Recovery’ in the first part...

'When I read a blog, it was like the spirit of that person was with me for the rest of the day. I would sometimes print out the blog or story and carry it around me in my back pocket, so that it would give me help and support during the day. And I knew I could always go back to Wired In To Recovery and find more blogs and Stories.'

When we were developing Wired In To Recovery, we rationalised that by providing people with the opportunity for people to blog, we would accumulate a wealth of information about the lived experience of addiction and recovery, the needs of recovering people, personal views about the care system, etc. And so we did.

'We don’t change our minds because a bunch of scientists publish a set of recommendations and issue them.... Human beings are storytelling creatures, that’s how we best learn, that’s how we best communicate. So when the storytellers in our society tell their stories, they end up...’

I've added 24 posts to our Recovery Voices this month, which means that the website now has over 220 pages. It's been a quieter time in relation to viewer numbers this month compared to last, but this is no surprise as I've had little time to publicise the website due to my spending lots of time with my son Sam who was visiting from the UK.

'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...'

'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.'

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.

'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...'

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.

'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...'

‘It is critical to understand that although addiction is a problem it is also an attempt to solve a graver problem that is, unbearable psychic pain. To understand addiction we need to understand human pain and that takes us to focus on childhood experiences.... ' Gabor Maté

This awesome six-minute film from 2017 brings a tear or two to my eyes when I watch it. David Higham had been in and out of prison since the age of 16 and was a drug user for more than 25 years. He went on to create (in 2012) and develop The Well Communities, an inspiring recovery community located in Cumbria and North Lancashire.