Two of the most important things I have learnt since becoming a recovery advocate over 25 years ago are the Voice of recovering people and the value of lived experience. Sadly, many professionals and institutions in the addiction field underestimate the value of people who have come through the adversities of addiction and related problems. This has been one of my frustrations with the treatment system.
In this post, I show another film from Wulf’s interview with Lianne Jones and Rob Havelock. In this film, we gain more insights into how North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC) and Penrhyn House are so successful in helping find recovery from addiction.
Rob is Founder of an Eryi (Snowdonia)-based walking and outdoor community dedicated to helping people recovering from addiction and mental health struggles. Lianne is a Duty Officer at Penrhyn House, the residential part of NWRC in Bangor.
Wulf asks what else at NWRC makes it work, putting aside outdoor activities which he will refer to later. For Rob, it’s being able to take part in things that normally he would show no interest in, that he would definitely be feeling uncomfortable taking part in. With NWRC, there’s always new ideas, new opportunities to try stuff, some outdoors, others indoors. There are different types of classes. Rob emphasises, ‘that’s the beauty of it. We don’t know what tomorrow brings.’ Wulf describes it as a ‘safe place to do the uncomfortable.’
Rob points out that when there is a new resident or community member, they might have a hobby community members have never thought about before. The community can then encourage them to share that hobby with the rest of them. Wulf says that when he stood outside Penrhyn House nine years earlier, he would never have thought that community members would be doing gong sound baths today. Members also go to saunas as a group. He believes that it is amazing what people are doing.
Rob emphasises that he was the sort of person who would say, ‘Sod that, I’m off!’, if he was asked to do something he didn’t like. But now he loves it when they try to push each other into trying new things. And if there was something that a person previously had tried and didn’t like, then they need to try it now that they are sober.
Wulf asks what’s the one thing that they’ve done so far in recovery with NWRC that the old ‘you’ would have never done? Rob says, ‘Mountains!’ Lianne points out that she could not stand meditation, but she did a session the day before and really enjoyed it. She fell asleep. Rob finished work that morning and did some weight training with one of the residents. That was something that used to make him feel very nervous and uncomfortable. He’s recently started jogging with James. He got himself involved in the ‘Couch to 5K’ programme, even though he didn’t really want to do so. He thought it’s the start of a new year, why not start something new? Why not challenge myself?
For Lianne, being involved in a community setting is something she would never have done previously, because she was a very isolated person. She may not love her own company, but she had always been on her own, or with just one other person.
The photograph above was taken after my walk on Moel Eilio with Sober Snowdonia in April 2024.
And finally, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Lianne x