There are hundreds of Mutual Aid groups around the place, all working to the same principle, namely ‘put a bunch of people with the same problem in a room together and see what happens’. This week, we’re looking at how powerful groups can be, and at how they can become dysfunctional. Also, we look at how all 12-Step groups have the same purpose but approach it differently, and we consider how easy it is to spend so much time bothering with other people’s business , that we can forget our own ..read more

Can we go too far and forget ourselves when helping others? While altruism plays a critical part in our recovery, is there a point where it takes over and we forget what we need to do for ourselves? This week, we’re talking about trying to maintain that delicate balancing act, whereby we are able to help other people without sliding into co-dependency, resentment or neglecting our own wellbeing. Also, we’re looking at how we have to ask for help and be honest about it ..read more

What do we do when everything changes? How do we respond to sudden changes in circumstances? Are we inclined to make mountains out of molehills? (Surely not!) What have horror films got to do with early recovery? We look at the process of change, how we negotiate everyday problems and challenges, without having our heads fall off completely. Of course, some of us can still get angry over the mechanics of changing address, changing doctors or other such mundanities ..read more

On January 26th 2024, Changes UK went into insolvency. This week, I’m talking to Anthony Cokeley and Steve Hatch about their longstanding experience with the organisation, about how it evolved from being a small and close-knit operation into one of considerable size and about the many positive effects of Changes UK’s work over the years. We discuss the challenges that arose and how we were ultimately unable to negotiate them successfully; however, there can be no doubt that we gave it our best shot! We also touch briefly on the future and what that might bring ..read more

In the fourth of a series of interviews with Service Users who have recently completed treatment and engaged in an Aftercare Programme, we are talking to Robin about his experience of the process and how he has used it to maintain recovery.  He talks about the importance of compassion and of forging new, meaningful connections. We discuss the value of community, finding new habits and a new way of living, accessing mutual aid and finding a sponsor, highlighting how an Aftercare Programme supports this ..read more

What do I do with days off and days spent at home? How do I avoid reverting to old habits? I can see that I’m powerless, but how am I unmanageable? And why am I still unmanageable now? This week, we’re talking about how we handle days we take to ourselves and what we need to do in order to protect ourselves from returning to our previous behaviour at home. Also, we’re looking at powerlessness and unmanageability and how they manifest themselves, both in addiction and in recovery. And lastly, we address what we mean by overdose, that it’s not quite as simple as perhaps it seems ..read more

Do we need outcomes and results in recovery? Why (not)? What do we do in order to give ourselves a sense of purpose in our first few months back out in the world? How do we go about it? This week, we’re talking about how we make progress in recovery, one small step at a time. If we are constantly looking for outcomes and absolutes, we are in danger of setting ourselves up to fail. Also, we’re talking about how and why we make commitments once we are clean and sober, and how we maintain those commitments ..read more

How do I negotiate the idiosyncrasies of everyday life without collapsing into a heap? How do I cope with organising myself as a new year dawns? How do I avoid resentments and petty squabbling? This week, we’re talking about all the little things, how we deal with them and what we can do to prepare ourselves for fresh challenges ahead. Also, we’re looking at buses and how to cope with them, the perils of ‘armchair management’ in terms of judging others and the way that ‘negative power’ is generated by any form of resentment ..read more

What is ‘a blackout’ and how do we define it? How often were we doing things in blackout when under the influence? How does this appear to those around us? This can be more deceptive than we might think. This week, we’re talking about drunk driving, blackouts, the ‘morning after eye-opener’ and how we do (or don’t) manage to drink with the normies. We discuss the nature of blackouts, how we come to accept them as normal and what it’s like to look back on them through clean and sober eyes ..read more

This week – all the way from New Mexico – we’re talking to Nico, about his personal journey through addiction and into recovery. He cites the importance of addressing our mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing, the need to find appropriate role models and how positive relationships are vital to achieving and maintaining recovery. While his chosen approach differs from ours (and we never said we had the only answer!), it’s clear from the interview that we have many things in common ..read more