Today, I continue reminding you of the six people who Wulf and I have interviewed, and edited films for, to date on Recovery Voices. In previous cases—Huseyin Djemil, Wendy Dossett and David McCartney, I have chosen three short film clips of each person from our Themes YouTube channel.
Since both Wulf and I interviewed James Deakin, I have decided to have two blog posts devoted to the Founder of North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC). Today, I’ve chosen three Theme film clips from Wulf’s interview with James, whereas next week I’ll link to three Theme clips from my interview with him. Here is what Wulf had to say about James on the latter’s People page.
‘I started working with James just over a decade ago. Firstly, in supporting him to work through the ethics of being a whistleblower, and from this into early musings and foundations of North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC). What struck me then and has remained to this day is James’s passion to provide alternative enabling environments to those of the standard treatment services.
What I have seen over these years, and is reflected in our conversation, is the establishment of a vibrant peer-led organisation. Daring to say and do things differently. Harnessing strengths, challenging stigma and sustaining change. Supporting James and NWRC has been a privilege, as is the sharing with you of what makes them so different and work.
In my interview with James, which took place on 21 March 2023, he describes his drug-dealing days in Manchester and cocaine addiction. He begins his recovery journey after moving to Bangor, and spends ten years working as a chef before becoming a mental health worker and then a Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) worker. He becomes disillusioned with the treatment system, but inspired by recovery advocates Mark Gilman and the late Rowdy Yates. He receives funding from outside the system to set up the peer-led NWRC, which now has a residential facility (Penrhyn House), Growing for Change food project, and a community cafe, Bwyd Da Bangor. James describes NWRC activities.’
I edited 14 films, totalling over 82 minutes, for James’s archive (People page) from his interview with Wulf. I also edited a collection of 24 short Theme film clips for his YouTube Theme Playlist. Here are three of my favourite Theme clips from this interview. Sadly, James’s internet connection was slow, so the quality of image and syncing between image and sound is not always good. But the content is great!
Recovery & Treatment
‘Treatment services, instead of trying to be all things to all people, [should] just concentrate on the shit [they] can do, which is acting as a set of stabilisers. Getting people clean, getting them sober, offering them counselling, giving them detox, and then once they’re clean, once they’re sober and once they’re detoxed, give them to people in recovery…’ [2′ 18″]
Finding Our Way as a Community
‘For a lot of these guys, they have never felt part of anything. The only thing they’ve ever felt a part of is that using-community, which perversely does have quite an intimate sort of core to it.’ [2′ 34″]
Bonds Forged in Adversity
James and Wulf discuss taking recovery community members on expeditions into the mountains. ’The only way they can get through it is relying on the support and the encouragement of other people.’ [1′ 57″]