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I just had a conversation that fills me with pain. Somebody in the depths of addiction and bereavement can see no way out and wants to end it all. It’s sometimes hard to not seem glib when you tell someone that recovery is possible; there is a path for them. Those words often need action, advice, signposting and support to follow. We need to acknowledge the pain and suffering too.
At our lowest points, recovery can seem so far fetched. Something this person said to me really struck a nerve. They looked up, looked me straight in the eye and said, “Hope is a dangerous thing.”
I understand what they mean.
And yet I have to believe in hope – because I believe in recovery. I’m privileged to see it everyday, in the people I’m fortunate enough to work with in Cardiff and on this site. Hope is real because recovery is real. It may not be easy to find and there may be many different ways of ‘finding it’ and some of which we don’t always understand.
What we’re all doing here is important – supporting recovery and being a part of the recovery movement.
I know that sometimes it’s all too easy to become numb to the stories we hear of addiction and despair – it can become, ‘another day in the office’. People can come to believe that recovery is a myth. But, we mustn’t let this happen – not to ourselves, other workers, or more importantly, those seeking, as well as their families and loved ones.
This feels all the more timely in light of some of the blogs and discussions we have had on the site recently. We need to share recovery and help people to find their path.
Thank you to you all for being there for me to share this with and for showing me that although hope can be dangerous, it is wonderful too!
Hi everyone and thank you all for your recent blogs. The support and discussions you all contribute to this site is invaluable.
The National Recovery Walk meeting in Glasgow last week was inspiring (and tiring!) and I really came away feeling part of something. The recovery ‘agenda’, the growing network of Emerging Recovery Organisations and the public expression of hope in the form of the National Recovery Walk are evidence of something special – Recovery!
It was also lovely to meet some of our Wired In community members, ‘in the flesh’ (as Michaela clarified in one of her blogs – clothed!), and to hear feedback about what the community means to different people. We’re excited at the prospect of future Wired In ‘real-world’ events too, when the community is financially supported!
We had some discussions around the issues faced by Emerging Recovery Organisations which were helpful and gave lots of food for thought. We also got down to the nitty gritty of organising the National Recovery Walk to be held in Glasgow in September 2010. Michaela, Annemarie and I will blog with more information over the coming weeks – and I’m sure others who attended will blog too. We look forward to hearing your comments and taking the discussions (and actions) further.
Have a good week!
Following recent discussions on the site about the power of language and the terminology we use, some of you may be interested in this article on today’s Daily Dose.
Words Used To Describe Substance-Use Patients Can Alter Attitudes, Contribute To Stigma. Changing the words used to describe someone struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction may significantly alter the attitudes of health care professionals, even those who specialise in addiction treatment [Medical News Today, UK]
Let us know what you think!
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We’d also like to thank Wirral DAAT for becoming an associate sponsor. You can see our associate sponsors by following the link on the left hand side of the channel pages.
Although we are very grateful to our sponsors, we also have a long way to go! If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, making a donation, or have suggestions for us to pursue, please get in touch with me – .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Thanks!
I’ve been really interested in recent blogs concerning the words and language we use. Particularly the messages they give and how they affect us, the people we work with, those we’re trying to reach, educate, inform and involve.
This topic is particularly relevant to the emerging recovery movement as we will be responsible for introducing terms and explaining what they mean. Perhaps the biggest challenge we face will be finding a definable and universal UK description of ‘recovery’. Or, what is a recovery service?
Well, I don’t want to open that can of worms just yet (!) but thought I would share a recent example of the need to pay attention to the terms we use, or at least explain what we mean when we use them.
At a recent service user forum in Cardiff called Carduf (Current, Abstinent and Recovering Drug Users Forum – you will hopefully see representatives blogging on the site soon!) we were discussing the need for, and current provision of, ‘diversionary activties’.
As we were merrily discussing away, somebody raised concerns about the term diversionary activities. They asked the question – what are we diverting people from? The obvious answer would be, ‘duh, using drugs’.
The individual, using their personal experience of recovery, then described how we should not be diverting anybody away from anything. Recovery is about enhancing one’s life, finding new things of interest and enjoyment, facing head on the problems and reasons that lead people to use – not diverting away from them. Hmmm, interesting.
We then discussed that in actual fact the term refers to activities – recreational and educational/skills-based – to divert people away from or out of treatment. More pausing. ‘But aren’t these activities a part of treatment and indeed recovery, to enhance skills, enjoyment, social activities and so on?’
After much discussion, the issue was cleared up by another service user, ‘Just use the term, but explain what you mean by it!’. A nice, pragmatic resolution.
We decided that we would continue to refer to ‘diversionary activities’ because it is a recognised term included in frameworks and strategies across the UK (including, substance misuse, mental health, young people). I agreed, but it did make me pause to think about the terms I use and the need to explain what they mean!
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UK Recovery Walk 2010
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