Back in 2006
a small group of rehab residents
from Sheffield Alcohol Support Service (SASS)
complained about the lack of peer support during
their alcohol treatment. This feedback was the
start of something big and provided the inspiration
to what has turned out to be a very successful
Alcohol Recovery Community (ARC).
Now in its second year, the ARC, funded by the Big Lottery and based at
SASS, provides support for people in alcohol recovery using a model based
around daily activities built on four key areas – health and wellbeing, lifestyle
and independence, peer support, and training and volunteering. The results have
been astonishing. Out of 134 clients, 76 per cent have shown a reduction in
their drinking or continued abstinence and 80 per cent have reported benefits to
their health and wellbeing.
ARC is an innovative project, breaking new grounds in supporting people to
move on from their addiction, and we feel it’s working. Historically SASS has
always provided treatment support for alcohol addiction in the form of brief
interventions, counselling and residential rehab. But from our own experience we
knew that clinical treatment alone does not always stop people from drinking in
the long term. We provided some peer support groups that were working really
well but service users often told us that it was the social isolation that was a
significant factor in any relapse.
When you remove an addiction such as alcohol it leaves a huge gap in a
person’s life, especially if they have been an entrenched drinker. Previous
relationships and social activities have revolved around the addiction and many
users have been out of work for long periods of time. ARC's effectiveness
comes from using peer support in the traditional sense of mutual aid, but also
combining it with social and recreational activities, including volunteering, the
opportunity to be in the company of other people on a similar journey and the
support of friendly, accepting and skilled staff and volunteers.
The challenge has come from ensuring that the ARC has stayed true to the
values of peer support – being led by the service users, but also ensuring risks
are managed and outcomes are met for the funder. SASS has achieved this by
handing over service design and most delivery to its volunteers, who are all
themselves in recovery. For example the idea for their modelling club came from
a discussion in a SMART Recovery meeting, where someone had discussed how
the act of making model aeroplanes had really helped them avoid the urge to
drink through a diversionary activity. Other service users and volunteers liked
this idea and now run a social model club on a Saturday. SASS provides the
venue and the equipment but the group is entirely led by its members.
SASS has taken this concept one step further by using volunteers in recovery
to provide face-to-face support for their more vulnerable service users through
recovery coaching. Volunteers in recovery complete a ten-day accredited
programme of training that teaches them skills around boundaries, counselling
and relapse prevention. Once they have completed this they are then matched
Can you balance the needs of a peer-led recovery service
with the requirements of good governance and practice?
Yes, says Carl Cundall of the Alcohol Recovery Community
up with clients who are in the earlier stages of recovery and assist them to
develop their recovery capital. This has proved to be a winning formula as it
allows the volunteers to use their own life experiences to help others, but
through techniques that are regarded as industry best practice, therefore
minimising the risk to the service users sometimes associated with peer
support groups while strengthening the support available.
We are very lucky at SASS to have an in-house training social enterprise
called Waypoint, which can deliver tailor-made training to our volunteers. In
addition to high quality training, we also provide all volunteers with an in-depth
induction, mandatory support and supervision. This is extended to external
clinical supervision for the recovery coaches. So for us this combination of
supervision and training, along with handing over large parts of service delivery,
ensures ARC clients are getting the best support and opportunities to move on
from their addictions, while minimising the risks to the organisation.
SASS does not claim that service user changes are solely due to attendance
at the ARC, but responses made by service users have shown the ways in which
this combination of a sense of community with real opportunities to move on
has had a positive impact on the lives of recovering alcohol users.
SASS will be sharing their findings at their annual Recovery in the Community
conference on 13–14 September. For more information contact
carl.cundall@sheffieldass.org.uk
Carl Cundall is manager of the Alcohol Recovery Community (ARC) in Sheffield
20 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| May 2012
Peer support |
Recovery
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
Bowled over: ARC
members in action
power
PEER