Wired In's new Recovery Support Group

Well, with Monday's rant behind me I've decided to let you know about the new Wired In To Recovery Support Group!! 

It's been set up as peer-support group, enabling those in recovery from substance use to give and get support from others in the same boat as them. We meet once a week, every week, on a Wednesday evening from 6 - 8pm. As well as a group sessions, we also have a big social aspect to the group. 

The Wired In volunteers that have helped to set this group up, felt that is was very important to have a social aspect to the group as it can be hard to socialise in a safe environment, drink and drug free, once you're in recovery. The groups are held at the premises of a local Housing association (2A Alexander Street, Cathays, Cardiff), where there is a chill out room with a pool table and a kitchen that can be used at every meeting, also helping people to make and strengthen friendships within the group.

This group is run by people in recovery for others in recovery, enabling experiences and support to be shared by like-minded people. As with all Wired In projects, there is no charge for these services. If anyone is interested in coming to this group or just wants some more information then please email me on kevinm@wiredin.org.uk or give me a call on 07541216011.

Wired In Recovery Support group

I've had a brilliant day of travelling around treatment providers in Cardiff giving a talk to let people know about the new support group we're setting up. The response I got was very encouraging from everywhere I went, although I got drenched while cycling around!

We had our first group last Wednesday, to which the turnout was great for a first group, a whole 4 people! It's going to be happening once a week from now on and is going to consist of a meeting in which participants will discuss their recovery and what's happening from day to day for them. There will be positive feedback encouraged as it's essentially a peer-support group, run by those in recovery, for those in recovery. After that there will be a chill out time for people to get to know each other over a cuppa and a game of pool. 

Well I didn't publish this straight away so it's a couple of days later now and we've had another group since writing this. I've been blown away by the response that I have received from people while telling them about this group. It's so encouraging to be told by people in recovery that they would like to attend this group. I've even had staff members from treatment providers I've visited asking if they can volunteer- it's been an amazing experience!!

I'm going to keep you all posted on how things go.

Heroin addicted elephant is out of rehab

The bull elephant, named Xiguang or Big Brother, has finally finished his 3 year detox program, based on a tropical Island.

He had been force-fed heroin laced bananas by his captors, who were illegal traders based in China, so they would be able to control him. When these captors were arrested in 2005, Big Brother went into 'care' but initial attempts to detox him proved too dangerous as 'even iron chains could not contain him', the Chiana daily newspaper reported.

After this first, failed attempt he was transported to Hainan to start his medicated detox. Here he was given methadone injections at a dosage of 5 times the usual human dose. After a year the frequency of these injections was gradually reduced, at a very slow rate to minimise his discomfort. He was also treated to bathing and massage treatments as part of his detox program. 

Since finishing his program he has been relocated to a new home in the mainland city of Kunming, the capital city of his home province, Yunnan.  

I read this story in the Cardiff Metro newspaper on 5/09/08 and at first it seemed very sad, upseting me greatly. An elephant that couldn't have fully realised what was going on, was put through the hell of living with addiction and withdrawal. On thinking about it further though, it then occured to me that during his detox this elephant had received better treatment than most of the people I know who struggle with substance misuse problems - A holistic detox program which included substitute prescribing in a reduction plan, with massage and hot baths to boot, and to top it off, an aftercare program which included re-housing!

If only the treatment services for human beings were so caring and thorough in the delivery of their service. 

The 'Recovery Movement'

I decided to get involved with the “Recovery Movement’ as I feel the substance misuse field really needs rejuvenating. There is a lot about the field that is good but I’m afraid there is more that is both negative and non-productive. If we all speak up about this, that is addicts, recovered addicts, and all those working in the field, and say what we think about treatment services, the good, the bad and the ugly, then just maybe the policy makers will start listening and actually develop a new, recovery based treatment service that will help more people into sustained recovery from their addictions.

Those with addiction problems should be shown all the treatment/recovery options when they present asking for help, including – abstinence based, maintenance based, counselling, CBT etc, with an explanation of what all of the options entail.

The concept of a ‘Recovery Movement’ is very simple – the joining together of like-minded, ambitious people who are willing to do what they can to adapt the treatment system so it will help more people into sustained recovery. My aim is to highlight the areas, both good and bad, that need looking at with a view to improving them, so that we can maximise the good that this field does for those with substance misuse issues and also remove some of the barriers that are in the way for those seeking to change their behaviour.

There are lots of people and services around the UK that are pushing the recovery agenda on their own, cut off from others who are trying to do the same. By bringing all of these people together, we will make a stronger, louder voice, a voice that will reach Westminster with so much energy, it will demand a response!

Well, they're my thought's on the 'Recovery Movement', to see what the Prof has to say please visit 'The Prof speaks out'.

The black or white approach to treatment

I read with interest the story highlighted on today's Daily Dose - 'Tackling substance abuse in families'. Bruce Thomson starts by saying-

"Debate regarding the most appropriate ways to help people to get off drugs has resulted in what often seem to be polarised positions in favour of either methadone prescribing or abstinence-based interventions."

This has long been the case in the substance misuse field - why it is so I'm not sure, as it is a pointless debate with both sides losing out. In my opinion the "extras" that usually come with abstinence based programs, i.e. counselling, fellowship groups, reflection/meditation groups, one to one/group therapy etc, are what make the difference. 

Why aren't all of these "extra" interventions offered with methadone maintenance or reduction prescribing? I don't see any reasons why they couldn't fit together, in fact, I've worked in a project myself that offered this kind of methadone prescribing service, which was then reduced leading to abstinence as the final goal - with good success rates I'd like to add. To my knowledge this project is the only one of it's kind. It could work just as well with methadone maintenance for those wanting that.

I'd like to see the whole range of interventions being offered to prospective clients with a kind of self-selection (with professional guidance) of the particular services they'd like to have in their recovery program, kind of like choosing what subjects to take for your GCSE's! This way service users aren't being forced into doing something that they don't need just to get the services that will help them. Of course for this to happen there would need to be co-operation between different services throughout treatment, all governed by a new kind of direct access free service, doing the initial assessment, referrals and overseeing/supporting the clients throughout the whole process including the aftercare.

That would be my 'perfect world' answer to substance misuse! No black or white but black AND white - I think I'd call it 'The zebra intervention'!

My Wired In experience

It was early 2005 when I first had any contact with Wired In. At the time I was a chaotic drug addict and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t quit using, in fact I had given up even trying. I just wanted everything to end; I’d simply had enough of life on my knees. Then I met Sarah, who worked for Wired In, we got talking and hit it off. I could see that she genuinely cared and that really surprised me, she was young, pretty and she wanted to spend time talking to me, a no-good drug addict (that was how I felt about myself), very strange!

I then started to volunteer with Wired In but I didn’t really do a lot at first, as my life was so chaotic. Usually I would just meet up with Sarah and have a good chat, I think that was what I really needed at the time. Sarah helped me to realise that there was more to the world than just darkness and pain, she had no ulterior motives for being my friend, it was only because she cared about what I was going through and wanted to support me. It was when I realised this that my outlook on life started to change. For me to accept, and believe I was actually worth that friendship was a huge step for me, in fact, it was the first step on the pathway to my recovery.

Since then I have got involved in lots of different activities with Wired In, and all of them served to increase my self-esteem, confidence, knowledge and skills; in fact I learnt a lot of new skills - public speaking, facilitating group sessions, conducting filmed interviews and about addiction/recovery as a whole, but more important than this I also learnt a lot about myself - my strengths, weaknesses, even who I really was and what I wanted to do with my life. It soon became clear to me that I wanted to work full-time in the substance misuse field and in October 2007, I secured a paid post with The Salvation Army as a Substance Misuse Worker. I’ve recently changed jobs and now work as the Community Development Co-ordinator with Wired In. My job is both challenging and very rewarding; I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Volunteering for Wired In has changed my life in so many, positive ways, I am indebted to all of the team, Sarah especially. I am now living a happy, fulfilled life and volunteering with Wired In was one of the main factors that helped me to turn my life around.

Wired In releases new film on You Tube

I've just been looking through the footage we have for the series "Life as a heroin addict'. It's helped me to realise how important it is to get information about addiction, treatment and recovery, out there in the public domain. It is something that people in the wider community don't know a lot about, apart that is from the exaggerated, sensationalist, usually negative, stories portrayed in the media.

If we are to encourage addicts in recovery to participate in recovery communities, then likewise we need to encourage people in the wider community to except and embrace those in recovery, welcoming them back into the heart of the local community. To do this we first need to break down the view that society has of drug addicts by education and by example. Look at me, I was a heroin/crack addict and now I hold down a respectable job, pay my taxes and live within the law.

By advertising my victory over addiction, I am showing my community that - 1) It is possible to overcome addiction/alcoholism. 2) That not all addicts/alcoholics & those in recovery are a danger to anyone. 3) People can change.

Likewise, I am showing my fellow addicts/alcoholics that - 1) It is possible to recover from addiction/alcoholism. 2) It is possible to live without the cravings to use/drink. 3) It is possible to be a valued member of the community again. 4) The stigma around addiction/alcoholism can be overcome. 5)  The communities opinion of those who have come from an addiction/alcoholic background can be changed for the better with education, time and patience.

I know this kind of dramatic change of opinion in the UK isn't going to happen overnight, but I also know that unless people like you and I, start to speak up for what we believe then It's never going to happen and this situation is going to get a lot worse for everyone. I want my children to grow up in a world where those living with health problems get the help they need promptly, with the support of their local community so that they can heal fully. I don't think that's too much to ask. Do you?

My experience of methadone reduction

When I went to my first appointment at the CAU (Community Addiction Unit) in Cardiff and asked for help in stopping using heroin and crack cocaine, I was told that they could give me methadone for the heroin addiction and there wasn't anything they could do for the crack habit. So I went on to methadone, starting at 20ml/day.

I told them that I was injecting a lot of heroin ( 1-2 grams/day), so would that amount of methadone be enough for me? I was then advised to 'top up with heroin' until the methadone had gone up to a high enough dose to hold me on it's own, and then to gradually reduce my heroin use. The problem was I couldn't control the amount of heroin I used, that depended solely on the amount of money I had, and nothing else! So I ended up on 120ml/day of methadone and I was still using the same amount, if not more, of heroin. I'd gone in with 2 addictions and come out with 3, in a right daze - basically I was up the creek without a paddle!

When push came to shove and I ended up in hospital, with an unconnected injury, for 8 months, I decided to look into rehab options. I met with my CAU key worker, explained that I wanted to get off the methadone as I wasn't using heroin anymore, and go to a rehab, I was told in no uncertain terms that she thought I wasn't ready for rehab and the local authority wouldn't be funding it.

As it happens that was probably for the best as I found a rehab myself, funded by housing benefit in Cardiff, that had a place for me. So I left hospital and went straight into LivingStones Rehab. I wanted to discuss reducing my methadone, so at this point I went to see my key worker again, really chuffed to be able to give my first negative urine sample(negative for heroin), She said that's great but I'd like to increase your methadone dose, just in case. I couldn't believe it, why raise it? I'd stopped taking heroin, was in a stable environment, with support and they wanted to raise my dose? After a lengthy discussion, she agreed to not increasing it but would have none of it when it came to talk of reducing it.

So I decided to write my own reduction plan, as I was on weekly pickup it was possible for me to measure it myself and discard the remainder. I decided on 10% drops every week, until I was completely off it. I let my key worker know my plan, accepted the flack she gave me and got on with it.

Every time I went in for an appointment after that I ended up being chastised for reducing myself,it was going smoothly but she still wouldn't agree to reducing as I wanted and would only drop it to the level I was on that day, so by the next week I was having to measure it and throw away the excess again. No matter what I said or how I explained it, the CAU would not reduce it for me, worse than that they put every barrier possible in front of me. This went on for months, in fact it wasn't until I was on 8ml/day that they realised I was serious about coming off methadone for good and actually started to reduce it for me when I asked.

At a time when I was taking huge steps forward the CAU were trying to drag me back at every opportunity, that was how it felt to me. I'd go as far to say they made it a lot harder than it could of been, it was only because I was so certain that I was making the right decision did I continue it alone. I didn't want to have to argue my point and defend my position at every appointment, I wanted supporting in what I was doing. It was my decision to reduce and it was a decision I didn't make lightly. But I was forced to fight a pitched battle all the way through my reduction.

It took me just over 5 months to get off 120ml/day of methadone, the sweating went on a lot longer but has also improved vastly! But there is one thing I'd like to know - Why was there so much opposition from the CAU to me coming off methadone? I have my own ideas about that but if there's anyone else out there who can help me understand this, then please let me know!

I'd like to add that I know the way the CAU acted was obviously in accordance with the directives passed down to them, and weren't local decisions. So the real question is - Why is it this way?

Chance meetings...

                            Left to right - Paul, Myself, Stuart, Jason

I've not long returned from a two day visit 'oop north', taking in Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington and visiting various services in those locality's. On Monday evening I was meeting up with various people from the NTA, DAT's etc in a coffee shop in central Manchester. I should stress that this was my first ever visit (although I plan to return shortly), as I'm sat down first of all a lad I know from Cardiff, and haven't seen for 4 years walks up to me and then I can see two lads sat opposite us keep looking up and smiling at us. Well, we were a varied bunch so I thought that explained that one! 

But it wasn't that, they actually recognised Prof D from his writings in DDN (drink and drugs news), and then when Stuart Honor joined us it tipped the balance and they came over to say hello. They were Paul and Jason from Blackburn,Both of them have recovered from drug addiction and they are now both involved in The Thomas Project in Blackburn. 

I'm a firm believer in things happening for a reason so I'm going to keeping in touch with the lads and hopefully I'll be visiting The Thomas Project very soon.

The ups and downs of recovery!

I've been in recovery for 3 years, there's been ups and there's been downs during this time. Life is that way, there couldn't possibly be another way of living as there's so much out of our personal control. It took me a little while to realise this as when ever tough times had come along in previous non-using times, I had gone straight back to using. I had no other way of dealing with the crap, life threw at me.

The problem was I saw myself as a victim and that I had it hard. The truth is I made life choices at a young age that I was now paying for, I myself was not a victim of anyone but myself. When this finally sank in with me, I knew that I had to stop moping around and take responsibility for my responses to these things that came at me in life, the good, the bad and the ugly, and try to deal with them in a positive fashion. I was only able to do this with support from others in recovery alongside professional support/direction.

Just realising that I had options in the choices I made, i.e. to use or not essentially, was like being set free in itself, and it laid the foundations for me to build my recovery on.

Thank you to everyone who played a part in helping me to realise my potential.

Wired In volunteers kick ass!

Earlier today I had a meeting with Rachel, a researcher from a TV production company based in London. The company she works for is looking to make a hard hitting, 2-part documentary about cocaine and heroin, which is planned to cover the whole process involved with drugs, that's everything from the farmers who grow the crops, to the street level user and the drug policy's that effect everyone, across the world.

They are looking for a city in the UK to film the heroin part of the program, and it looks like that city could be Cardiff! Rachel wanted to meet up with our volunteers to find out their feelings and thoughts on the issues facing drug users, how the drug policy's in place affect them and also to see if they wanted to be part of the cast!

Three of our volunteers were there, Chris Hobbs, Patrick McClellan and Brian White. It was a great meeting, everyone got stuck in debating the different issues that drug users are facing, from how people get into it, right through to how people get into recovery and what the treatment services can offer to them. We got on so well that three hours later we were still chatting! 

Rachel seemed to have a passion for the truth and I got a really good feeling about what her company wanted to do. But if there's one thing that stood out for me, it's how proud I felt of the guys there. They've come such a long way in a short time, and for them to be there, meeting with a production company researcher, who wants to put them on prime time! Well I'm filling up just thinking about it. Next stop Hollywood lads!

Everyone of the guy's there was an ex-heroin user. It just shows that addiction can be overcome and it is possible to have a fulfilling, active life after drug addiction. I'm not just talking about a lucky few people who manage to cling on to recovery by the skin of their teeth, I'm saying that EVERYONE who has a drug addiction has the potential within themselves to conquer it and live a free life again. That inner potential just needs to be realised and gently nurtured in a supportive atmosphere.

 

Methadone time limit??

One of Scotland's leading authorities on drug treatment, released a statement yesterday calling for a time limit on substitute methadone prescribing for heroin addicts. Neil McKeganey, Professor of Drugs Misuse Research at Glasgow University, said that methadone treatment should only be available for a short time, suggesting that 2 years is long enough for anyone to overcome their addiction problems before becoming drug free.

He said: "There is no question that methadone has a role to play in assisting addicts to become drug-free but we have far too many addicts on it for far too long, many of whom are continuing to use illegal drugs alongside their methadone," he said.

"I am not saying we should not have methadone but what I am saying is people should be on it for a modest period of time and moved on to a drug-free programme. If it's not time limited, they remain on it for far too long and I do not think we should have addicts on methadone for more than two years."

In my opinion, it is a vast generalisation to say that everyone with an addiction problem should be drug free within 2 years. It should be treated on a case by case basis, some may need methadone or another kind of substitute treatment (yes there is more than one kind) for a lot longer than the next man/women.

In my personal experience of treatment and recovery, I eventually realised that it was essential I be in control of my treatment, in both increasing and decreasing the dosage and also the time scale, (I'll be talking more about this in the near future). I was certainly a lot more successful in my recovery when I was given responsibility in making my own decisions, with medical guidance of course, than when it was forced upon me.

In a previous posting, I've talked about how I've experienced methadone being used in the wrong way, but implementing a blanket ruling such as a time limit is totally the wrong way of addressing this problem. There isn't a quick fix (no pun intended!) for solving the issue of addiction and recovery in our society. It's going to take a whole new treatment/recovery ethos, with 'client led' at the top of the list.

Moving on...

At the moment I'm editing and uploading film to You Tube. The filming took place last year and Mark Saunders and I got to have a go at being on the 'other side' of the camera for a change! A lot of the people we filmed, have become volunteers with Wired In and have moved on somewhat from the stage they were at when the filming took place.

It is totally amazing how that change manifests itself for different people. One of the individuals we filmed is now drug free, has secure accommodation and has started to help others along their path to recovery. His spiritual life has blossomed, in fact he's a different person to the one we filmed - There's a sunny outlook now, the darkness has gone!

One of the other guys we filmed (Chris Hobbs) is now well maintained on a substitute prescription and doesn't use street drugs anymore. He also has his own private accommodation. With all the money he's saved from not buying drugs, he has passed his driving test and bought a car, which has given him the freedom to visit his extended family, living in England, and also to get around a lot easier with his young family.

To be in the position where I can witness individuals, making these kind of changes in their lives, is an unbelievable privilege that many do not get the chance to experience. It is definitely the best part of my job. There are many people that make it out of drug addiction into recovery, and recovery that is long-term too. But the problem is that we don't always get to hear about those people, and this is why I believe that what Wired In is doing is so important. For those who are still trapped in the depths of addiction, there can be no better person to hear about recovery from, than a recovered addict - straight from the horses mouth. 

We should all be pushing for this kind of thing to happen on a far bigger scale, with proper funding. Until ex-addicts are given the platform to be able to discuss their personal experiences, victory's and failures, then we simply aren't going to understand recovery, with all of it's connotations. The better our understanding of recovery, that is, understanding gained from those who have recovered, the better we can facilitate recovery in others.

Is there a God??? - Part 2

After that day my life certainly got a lot, lot harder. My addiction to heroin got stronger with every failed attempt to stop using. There came a point where I just through the towel in, I figured that as I couldn't stop using the best thing to do was to use as much as I could, whenever I could, that way it would all be over soon-I hoped.

Even though Wayne had helped me to understand a little about Jesus, before I prayed to him, there was no continuation of this teaching and I knew nothing of what to expect from God or what my part of this bargain was. I didn't know any other Christians at this time, so my Christian life stopped there, before it had even got started!

It was 5 years later when I met a young lady that worked for a drug and alcohol charity, Wired In (formally 'WIRED'). I started to volunteer for this charity, although I didn't actually do anything or attend any planned meetings as my life was so hectic at this time! But then, only 4 months later I ended up in hospital, seriously ill. I didn't know it at the time but I was to spend the next 8 months in hospital, and would eventually need a hip replacement.

As a product of the life I had led, I didn't think much of other people, I felt they were all out for themselves and they would step on anyone to get where they wanted. My friendship with this young lady from Wired In, helped me to realise that not everybody was like this, that there were still kind and considerate people in the world. 

She would visit several times a week and we would spend hours talking about all sorts of things and having a laugh together. Then she started to talk about what being a Christian meant to her and how it had helped her. I was intrigued and so I started to read a Bible again and would have question after question to ask her about what I was reading. There was lots I couldn't grasp and some I thought was just plain wrong!

I had so much time on my hands that I would read almost constantly, as I was bed bound, it was 1 of the only things I could actually do! My mother brought me in a book she had bought from the hospital shop downstairs, 'Taming the tiger' by Tony Antony. It was a biography about a guy who had been world Kung Fu champion 3 years on the trot, until his life took a turn for the worse and he ended up in jail. I've always loved martial arts, from films to books, whatever! Bruce Lee is one of my heroes. So I thought I'd give this book a go.

I couldn't have possibly seen what was coming next! I'll tell you about it in part 3!

Chronic???

I thought I'd post a blog on the topic covered in an earlier blog by David Clark - 'The nature of addiction:chronic or not?'

In my opinion, addiction can seem like a chronic problem to overcome, especially when you're in the middle of it. There is not only the physical addiction to overcome, with all it can bring along - withdrawals, poor health etc: there is also the mental addiction, and the consequences of this can be far more reaching - lack of confidence, poor self-esteem etc, which can last a lifetime, whether or not that person stops using/drinking or not.

For those addicted to mind altering substances (and by that I mean alcoholics and drug users), understanding mental addiction can be a lot harder than understanding physical addiction. Physical addiction stops from between 1-5 days (depending on which drug or whether it's alcohol) after the last dose has been taken, those days characterised by physical withdrawals. Mental addiction doesn't stop there, it's far more complicated than that, it goes on and on whether or not you're actually physically using. Add to that equation the fact that not many addicts have even heard of something called 'mental addiction', let alone know how to combat and overcome it and you have a set of circumstances that are very, very hard to recover from.

I myself, in the earlier years of my addiction, couldn't understand why after a period of physical abstinence (not using) I would at some point, go back to using drugs addictively. My family figured that as I'd gone back to it, of my own free will, it must have been because I didn't really want to stop. I must admit, with what I understood about addiction at the time, that was the only conclusion I could come up with as well! But the fact was, I didn't want to be an addict.

It was years later that I realised, through contact with an inspirational man who ran the rehab I went to - LivingStones, that whenever I had managed, by a huge act of will, to stop using for any length of time (sometimes a week, sometimes a year), I was still mentally addicted, that was why I'd eventually go back to using. I needed to break my mental addiction to secure any kind of meaningful recovery. 

Breaking my mental addiction was a long process and involved such things as support from those who understand addiction and recovery, a change of the setting I was in, building up a new set of friends, belief that I could achieve my goals ( from myself and those supporting me), having structure in my day and getting involved in voluntary work that boosted my confidence.

So personally, I don't think of the word 'chronic' in a negative sense. To me it portrays the long-term nature of recover from serious substance use problems. Recovery is not something that comes over night - it takes a lot of hard work over a period of time and that is why it is so important to have long-term help and support available. At the moment many treatment services think that putting people, for instance, on a methadone script, is classed as successful treatment - but it's not as simple as this, as I have said above - people need help dealing with all of the other issues in their lives (i.e. the reasons they began using and the problems that have occurred as a result of their using). I think if workers understand the chronic and long term nature of addiction, then the ways that they try to address the problems will be far more effective and longer lasting.

The most important thing is, that if addiction is labelled as a chronic disease then people MUST be made aware that RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE. Calling addiction a chronic disorder and not telling and showing people that addiction can be overcome would be very detrimental to the addict.

All in all I'd say yes, addiction is chronic and yes, it can be overcome.

The Wired In 'Way Forward'

Wired In's strategy was launched today on Daily Dose and I for one think it's bang on! Drug and alcohol services out there should be offering a service based on 'recovery' not simply treatment for treatment's sake.

In an earlier blog I spoke of my experiences of community based drug services in my local area, and how once I was on Methadone my key worker thought her job was done, she couldn't even remember my name without looking on her folder. For people to succeed in obtaining lasting recovery, they need a strong relationship with their worker/s which is led by the client themselves. Without this it becomes very hard to make any meaningful, lasting changes to their lives. 

I'd like to stress I'm not saying all the doctors, CPN's or key-workers I've ever been with, have been of no help to me, because that simply wouldn't be true, my current GP is excellent and I know there are many other excellent workers out there.But, we need more of them and if your in a 'caring job' and aren't enjoying it or you've lost your enthusiasm, then get out, do something else, something that will fulfill you.

The current 'containment' strategy in operation, at prescribing services up and down the country isn't working. Yes substitute prescribing has it's place, but it's not the magical answer to everything.

Film Blog and subscription in a Reader

You’ll see we’ve launched a new blog, 'Our films', which we will periodically update with our film material. We will be working in this way until we launch during the summer our new online recovery resource at www.wiredin.org.uk.

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When set up, the online feed reader will automatically search our blogs for new material and then put all that material in one place (a webpage) for you to read. This free service takes all the effort out of keeping up with our blogs. And you can access them from anywhere!

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"The Journey"...An amazing production by Teen Challenge

Last night I went to watch a musical called "The Journey", a dramatic story of an addict's search for freedom, put on by Teen Challenge UK and hosted at the City Temple, Cardiff. I'm not really sure what I expected, but I was absolutely blown away by what I experienced. All of the cast were recovering addicts as were much of the crew. It was so powerful that I, amongst many, was in tears.

It charted one man's decline into drug addiction, with all of it's chaos, fear and pain, and followed his story right through until he had invited the life changing power of Jesus Christ into his life. All of the scene's having well thought out props with amazing music and lyrics to boot. It was a very accurate and true to life script, it didn't over sensationalise addiction, but nor did it pull it's punches either.

It ended with the lead actor, David Cartwright, giving his personal testimony about how Jesus had freed him from his own heroin addiction. He spoke of his life now - happily married, working in a Christian ministry with recovering addicts, with such a complete look of joy and freedom upon his face that his peacefulness shone from him.

Personally, it helped me to reconsider my position in life. Where I had come from, what I had achieved, and where I hoped my life will lead. It re-grounded me in my recovery, and I gratefully thanked the Lord Jesus for also ridding me of my addictions, reiterating my promise to follow his teachings and example in my everyday life. 

When I bump into old using friends, a common question from them is "how come you succeeded in quitting drugs this time when you'd failed so many times before. What was different this time?" None of them expect the answer they get, "Becoming a Christian and using Jesus' strength, not just my own". Life still has ups and downs, but now I have a mental and spiritual strength that I didn't have before, and a God that's always there for me. 

Check out the trailer on the Teen Challenge website.

 

The film of my recovery launches on the web!

This film chronicles my 15 year struggle with addiction and how I found my pathway to recovery. In addition, my mother, Kerry, explains the effect that my addiction had on her and the rest of my family.

Making this film was really emotional as I revisited some of the most difficult parts of my life. However, I feel that it was more than worth it as I have had the opportunity to reach out to others who are facing similar issues – giving them hope and encouragement that it is possible to break free from addiction and enjoy life again.

Since completing this film I feel that I have come a long way. I moved out of the rehab and into a shared house, continued with my voluntary work and then gained full-time employment as a Substance Misuse Worker. I’ve recently bought my own house with my girlfriend and I’m really enjoying life – the good and the bad!

As the film was shot in high definition, we have had to cut it up into eight sections so that it could be viewed on the web. There is also a shorter version (8 minutes long), which is a summary of my journey.

I hope that you enjoy this film and that you gain a better understanding of addiction and recovery. I would really appreciate hearing your feedback, so please do not hesitate to contact me (kevinm@wiredin.org.uk). 

Vancouver mayoral candidates unite to keep 'shooting gallery' open

In a news conference in downtown Vancouver, four different candidates from two different party's plus a former mayor, came together to deliver a united message to the federal government: stop being ideological, look at the facts, and allow Vancouver's supervised-injection site to stay open.

Non-Partisan Association (NPA) Councillor, Peter Ladner said he realizes that it bothers some policy-makers that people who use the site often have to commit crimes and always have to buy illegal drugs on the street in order to be there, but they have to realize the site has community support and is a humanitarian response to a terrible health crisis.

As covered in an earlier blog, the supervised injecting site was recently reviewed by an expert advisory committee commissioned by Health Minister, Tony Clement to decide whether or not the site was having favourable results in the community it serves. Their findings showed the site was doing just that, providing health benefits without increasing harm.

A member of that panel, Dr Thomas Kerr, a researcher with the Centre for Excellence on HIV/AIDS, commented, "Now it's time for the federal government to honour the findings and stop asking if this program should remain open."

The site's current exemption from federal drug laws expires June 30, but Federal Health Minister Tony Clement hasn't yet said whether he will extend the pass and allow the site to remain open.

Why is it that after fighting to get this place open in the first place, and it being proven to benefit the local community, that it's future still isn't guaranteed? Far from looking to close it, the Canadian Government should be heralding this project as the success it is, and promoting it across Canada and the World as a whole. I for one would welcome this kind of provision in the UK. When our Government is looking for 'new' strategy's why don't they look at what's working in other Countries and follow their example?

It's time for a whole new approach to 'recovery' in the UK.