May 2012 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| 17
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
Recovery|
Voices
I’m writing this on the train to Brighton
(I
spend a lot of time on trains) where I’m going
to meet with the planning group for the 2012
UK Recovery Walk, which will take place in
Brighton on 29 September. You’ll be hearing
from the group in this column over the
summer but if you want to see what’s planned
check out the recovery walk website at
www.recoverywalk2012.org.uk.
It’ll be quite a day – people from all over the
UK getting together to make recovery visible, challenge stigma and
discrimination, celebrate the strengths, assets and diversity that support
recovery, make new friendships and have some fun. Everyone who supports
recovery in the community is welcome.
‘Wemake the path as we walk it’ is the UK Recovery Federation’s motto and
that’s what we’ve been doing; getting together with people to talk, share,
connect, learn and make the path. We’ve supported UK recovery walks in
Glasgow and Cardiff, delivered conferences with the recovery community and
kicked off a recovery seminar programme that has taken us all over the UK.
In April we delivered a recovery seminar in a prison for the first time, as
part of Kirkham Prison’s recovery week, and we were in HMP Edinburgh on
4 May, exploring passions and strengths and supporting people to find their
own way toward greater wellbeing. You’ll hear from some of the people
involved in the Kirkham recovery seminar in the next ‘Voices of Recovery’
column and I’ll also be reporting back in the next issue of
DDN
on the
‘People’s Conference’ which took place on 21 April, organised and delivered
by the Lancashire Recovery Community.
The UKRF has many friends who come from many different places and
with very different personal definitions of recovery, reflecting its diversity.
In these times when terms like ‘full recovery’ are being bandied about in
government papers, the UKRF falls back on its Recovery Principles. I’ll finish
with them:
1. Recovery lies within individuals, families and communities and is self-
directed and empowering.
2. Recovery lies within our ‘connectedness’ to others, is holistic and has
many cultural dimensions.
3. Recovery is supported by peers, families and allies within communities.
4. Recovery involves the personal, cultural and structural recognition of the
need for participative change, transformation and the building of
recovery capital.
5. Recovery involves a continual process of change and self-redefinition for
individuals, families, organisations and communities.
6. Recovery challenges all discrimination and transcends shame and stigma.
7. Recovery emerges from hope, gratitude, love and service to others.
8. There are many pathways to recovery and no individual, community or
organisation has the right to claim ownership of the ‘right pathway’.
9. Recovery exists on a continuum of improved health and wellbeing.
10. Recovery transcends, whilst embracing, harm reduction and abstinence
based approaches and does not seek to be prescriptive.
11. Honesty, self-awareness and openness lie at the heart of recovery.
12. Recovery is a reality and contagious.
Alistair Sinclair is director of the UK Recovery Federation (UKRF)
VOICES OF RECOVERY
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Recovery is about celebrating differences as well
as common bonds, says Alistair Sinclair
‘This conference will hopefully inspire you
and provide
a new focus on recovery and delivering recovery-focused services that people
want and need,’ said Avril Tully, executive director for drug and alcohol
services, opening DISC’s recent recovery conference in Leeds.
Chief executive Mark Weeding spoke about people realising their
potential and how it was part of DISC’s vision to help support people in
recovery back into society and into our communities.
‘Hope is infectious and that’s the message we need to pass on to our
service users,’ he said, before introducing peer mentor Steven Ellis. Steven
told his inspiring personal journey to recovery, supported by DISC and a
passion for art. Seeing him on stage now it is hard to believe that Steven had
a 12-year heroin addiction supported by an extensive criminal background.
‘I had a life and DISC helped me to rebuild it,’ he said. ‘Despite being four
years abstinent from drugs, I still see myself in recovery. It’s a lifelong journey.’
Mark Gilman of the National Treatment Agency (NTA) gave a motivating
speech demystifying some of the ‘Zen’ around recovery for everyone.
‘We can achieve things together that we could never do on our own,’ he
said, describing the ‘five ways of wellbeing’ strategy – connecting with
people, being active, giving something back, learning and taking notice. ‘If
we as workers can support individuals to focus on those elements, they will
see an improvement in their wellbeing. Everyone is passionate about
something, find your passion and focus on it,’ he added.
Rebecca Daddow, senior researcher at the Royal Society for the Arts (RSA)
presented the RSA’s ‘integrated person’ work, around helping to support
whole person recovery and discovering untapped potential, as well as their
work on ‘recovery capital’ to sustain recovery. Evaluation had shown the
extent to which recovery and access to recovery capital at social and
community levels were contagious, spreading positive messages through
networks.
She also discussed the role of the GP within the recovery process and how,
as a first port of call for someone seeking help, they could be an effective
catalyst to someone’s recovery journey. ‘It is crucial that GPs are aware of the
potential importance of their role in recovery. They are often the gateway to
a much broader system of recovery support,’ she said.
Last to speak was Professor Keith Humphries of Stanford University in the
US, delivering a presentation on ‘circles of recovery’, and what science could
tell us about peer-led and managed recovery organisations. The strong
messages from Keith’s presentation were that recovery was a small
investment for a massive public health gain. He spoke of the effectiveness of
mutual aid in recovery and how small changes in support could have a
massive impact on recovery. This included introducing people to mutual aid
groups and the concept and importance of assertive outreach – a key part of
DISC’s recovery programmes.
Summing up, Mark Weeding said: ‘Recovery is real for anyone who is
willing to make an effort to achieve it.’
Sue Semple is DISC media officer, www.disc-vol.org.uk
‘HOPE IS
INFECTIOUS’
DISC’s recent recovery conference
gave plenty of inspiration on long-
term change, writes Sue Semple