I don't think people realise how serious addiction is and that we have to be prepared to loose everything, absolutely everything, in order to recover. We don't necessarily HAVE to loose everything - but we've got to be PREPARED to do so.
Recovery has to becone THE PRIORITY in our lives. More important even than my children, my spouse, my career, my religion, my sport, my hobby, my finances....etc, etc. For if I loose my recovery I'm going to loose all those anyway. Today I'm going to committ to my recovery and do everything - absolutely everything - in order to achieve it, and to maintain it. And don't let PRIDE get in the way. Ask yourself "How important is it?" If it ain't life threatening, don't bother about it.
Rhoi'ch adferiad yn gyntaf, uwch POPETH yw'r nod er mwyn gwella o ddibyniaeth. Rhaid bod yn barod i golli POPETH er mwyn ei ddiogelu. Popeth.
Showing posts with label drugs and alcohol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drugs and alcohol. Show all posts
Saturday, 19 November 2011
Monday, 9 May 2011
LAUNCH OF WALES' FIRST RECOVERY WALK - 120 days to go
Cardiff City Hall will be the focus on Tuesday 10th May at 11am for a launch event to mark 120 days until the start of Wales’s first ever Welsh National Recovery Walk in Cardiff and the official registration website – www.recoverywalk2011.org.uk - going live. The Walk is supported by the UK Recovery Federation, Cardiff County Council, the Lord Mayor Elect of Cardiff and the Welsh Assembly Government.
The 10th September U.K Recovery Walk Cardiff is going to be a day of celebration; a fun day and an unforgettably inspirational day as we put positive ‘faces and voices’ to recovery and become worthy advocates for the attractive reality of recovery. Around 2,000 are expected to parade around Cardiff City Centre to celebrate the fact people can, and do, recover from substance use disorders and mental health problems.
The date of the walk coincides with the successful Recovery Month in the USA which has inspired the Welsh walk organisers, and which promotes the benefits to society of effective treatment for substance use disorders and mental health problems
Wynford Ellis Owen, who chairs the event committee, said, “We want this Recovery Walk, the first in Wales, to be an event to remember! The US Recovery Month model which I admire lauds the contributions of good treatment providers, and spreads the positive message that prevention works, treatment is effective and people can and do recover. This is precisely what the Welsh National Recovery Walk embodies.
“Through this walk we hope to engage with the UK Recovery community, and reach out and generate greater support amongst family members, friends and supporters of those in recovery.
“The Recovery Walk is, in essence, a civil rights issue and will go a long way towards countering the considerable amount of prejudice, discrimination and stigmatization of people with addiction and mental health problems that still exists in society.
“There’s one thing we can promise, there’ll be a welcome second to none in the hillsides, in the Valleys, and throughout Wales for all those attending this first ever Welsh National Recovery Walk. It’s going to be an once-in-a-lifetime experience!”
To register for the walk and to receive further information, send an email to welshrecoverywalk@gmail.com or gobaithatgerdded@gmail.com.
Carwyn, another member of our organising committee writes:
Hello my name is Carwyn and I am on the organising committee of the UK Recovery Walk Cardiff. I am delighted that Cardiff, Wales’s fantastic vibrant capital city, is hosting this walk at the end of the summer. The walk will take in some of the city centre’s great landmarks such as Cardiff Castle and the Millennium Stadium. There are also beautiful parks nearby, lots of great shops and restaurants, museums and galleries; in fact everything you need for a great day out! We look forward to seeing as many people in Cardiff as possible in order to make the walk a great success. We are preparing to launch the walk’s excellent new website prepared and designed by Oskar. We hope that the website will provide all the information that you need to register for the walk, to find out more about the location and route of the walk and help you get to Cardiff and stay in the city if you need to.
The website address will be http://www.recoverywalk2011.org.uk/ so please check out the website for updates, information and registration details.
ENDS
For further information please contact Rhodri Ellis Owen at Cambrensis Communications on 029 20 257075 or Rhodri@cambrensis.uk.com
The 10th September U.K Recovery Walk Cardiff is going to be a day of celebration; a fun day and an unforgettably inspirational day as we put positive ‘faces and voices’ to recovery and become worthy advocates for the attractive reality of recovery. Around 2,000 are expected to parade around Cardiff City Centre to celebrate the fact people can, and do, recover from substance use disorders and mental health problems.
The date of the walk coincides with the successful Recovery Month in the USA which has inspired the Welsh walk organisers, and which promotes the benefits to society of effective treatment for substance use disorders and mental health problems
Wynford Ellis Owen, who chairs the event committee, said, “We want this Recovery Walk, the first in Wales, to be an event to remember! The US Recovery Month model which I admire lauds the contributions of good treatment providers, and spreads the positive message that prevention works, treatment is effective and people can and do recover. This is precisely what the Welsh National Recovery Walk embodies.
“Through this walk we hope to engage with the UK Recovery community, and reach out and generate greater support amongst family members, friends and supporters of those in recovery.
“The Recovery Walk is, in essence, a civil rights issue and will go a long way towards countering the considerable amount of prejudice, discrimination and stigmatization of people with addiction and mental health problems that still exists in society.
“There’s one thing we can promise, there’ll be a welcome second to none in the hillsides, in the Valleys, and throughout Wales for all those attending this first ever Welsh National Recovery Walk. It’s going to be an once-in-a-lifetime experience!”
To register for the walk and to receive further information, send an email to welshrecoverywalk@gmail.com or gobaithatgerdded@gmail.com.
Carwyn, another member of our organising committee writes:
Hello my name is Carwyn and I am on the organising committee of the UK Recovery Walk Cardiff. I am delighted that Cardiff, Wales’s fantastic vibrant capital city, is hosting this walk at the end of the summer. The walk will take in some of the city centre’s great landmarks such as Cardiff Castle and the Millennium Stadium. There are also beautiful parks nearby, lots of great shops and restaurants, museums and galleries; in fact everything you need for a great day out! We look forward to seeing as many people in Cardiff as possible in order to make the walk a great success. We are preparing to launch the walk’s excellent new website prepared and designed by Oskar. We hope that the website will provide all the information that you need to register for the walk, to find out more about the location and route of the walk and help you get to Cardiff and stay in the city if you need to.
The website address will be http://www.recoverywalk2011.org.uk/ so please check out the website for updates, information and registration details.
ENDS
For further information please contact Rhodri Ellis Owen at Cambrensis Communications on 029 20 257075 or Rhodri@cambrensis.uk.com
Monday, 25 April 2011
Welsh supergroup bid for chart success in aid of recovery centre
Welsh music stars Bryn Fôn, Elin Fflur, Brigyn (Ynyr and Eurig Roberts), Côr Hŷn Glanaethwy and Côr Eifionydd have come together to record a song in aid of The Living Room Cardiff, the Welsh alcohol and drug recovery centre. The track, cân y ‘Stafell Fyw/The Living Room Song, was written by songwriter and Tebot Piws member Alun ‘Sbardun’ Huws and produced by Bryn Fôn.
Recorded in both Welsh and English at Sain Studios near Caernarfon, the song will be available to download from iTunes and www.sainwales.com on midnight 1st May. A music video will also be available to view on the Living Room Cardiff’s own website www.thelivingroom-cardiff.com and on www.sainwales.com
The community based Recovery Centre, based at 58 Richmond Road, Cardiff, will provide a safe, non-judgmental space offering a range of psycho-social programmes (including peer-based recovery support) for people from the Cardiff area that are in recovery from longstanding, entrenched substance misuse problems.
Members are treated not as “unfortunate people with longstanding drug and/or alcohol problems” but as functioning human beings with dreams, capabilities, creativity and in possession of a life to be lived’. The new centre will be officially opened on 8th September and will offer support and help PIRs ‘open the door to a new life’ free from addiction.
Wynford Ellis Owen, Chief Executive, Welsh Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs who sponsor the new centre, said, ”I am so grateful to everyone involved with this project as without their time and enthusiasm we would not be where we are today. To have a roll call of stars as we have managed to amass for this record is great and I’m sure people are going to love the song when they hear it and that it sets the charts alight!
“The Living Room Cardiff concept will revolutionize the treatment of alcohol and drug dependent people in Wales. The emphasis will be on recovery rather than simple addiction management. The idea for the Living Room stems from the fact there is no recognisable recovery community in Wales as such. The Living Room Cardiff has been established as a way to put a ‘face and a voice’ to recovery and to give hope to those still struggling with addiction. From my time in America, as part of the Winston Churchill Fellowship, it is crucial to establish a strong recovery community first as this is the best route to success for all concerned with recovery.”
Alun ‘Sbardun’ Huws, added, “The Living Room Cardiff is a great cause. I’ve personally had experience of battling with alcohol addiction and have been in recovery for twenty five years and know how difficult it can be to find advice and support. I’m proud to be able to help in some way."
Bryn Fôn, said, “First and foremost it’s a great song and I was only too happy to lend my support. The fantastic voices and talents of performers such as Elin Fflur, Brigyn, Côr Hŷn Glanaethwy and Côr Eifionydd makes this track extra special and I hope it raises a lot of awareness for the Living Room Cardiff.”
Dafydd Roberts, Chief Executive of Sain Records said, “It was a pleasure to host the recording of this song and to welcome such talented artists to the studios here, in aid of such a worthy cause. We hope everyone’s efforts will ensure the song succeeds in raising the awareness of this much needed resource”
For further information please contact Rhodri Ellis Owen at Cambrensis Communications on 029 2025 7075 or rhodri@cambrensis.uk.com or go to www.welshcouncil.org.uk.
Recorded in both Welsh and English at Sain Studios near Caernarfon, the song will be available to download from iTunes and www.sainwales.com on midnight 1st May. A music video will also be available to view on the Living Room Cardiff’s own website www.thelivingroom-cardiff.com and on www.sainwales.com
The community based Recovery Centre, based at 58 Richmond Road, Cardiff, will provide a safe, non-judgmental space offering a range of psycho-social programmes (including peer-based recovery support) for people from the Cardiff area that are in recovery from longstanding, entrenched substance misuse problems.
Members are treated not as “unfortunate people with longstanding drug and/or alcohol problems” but as functioning human beings with dreams, capabilities, creativity and in possession of a life to be lived’. The new centre will be officially opened on 8th September and will offer support and help PIRs ‘open the door to a new life’ free from addiction.
Wynford Ellis Owen, Chief Executive, Welsh Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs who sponsor the new centre, said, ”I am so grateful to everyone involved with this project as without their time and enthusiasm we would not be where we are today. To have a roll call of stars as we have managed to amass for this record is great and I’m sure people are going to love the song when they hear it and that it sets the charts alight!
“The Living Room Cardiff concept will revolutionize the treatment of alcohol and drug dependent people in Wales. The emphasis will be on recovery rather than simple addiction management. The idea for the Living Room stems from the fact there is no recognisable recovery community in Wales as such. The Living Room Cardiff has been established as a way to put a ‘face and a voice’ to recovery and to give hope to those still struggling with addiction. From my time in America, as part of the Winston Churchill Fellowship, it is crucial to establish a strong recovery community first as this is the best route to success for all concerned with recovery.”
Alun ‘Sbardun’ Huws, added, “The Living Room Cardiff is a great cause. I’ve personally had experience of battling with alcohol addiction and have been in recovery for twenty five years and know how difficult it can be to find advice and support. I’m proud to be able to help in some way."
Bryn Fôn, said, “First and foremost it’s a great song and I was only too happy to lend my support. The fantastic voices and talents of performers such as Elin Fflur, Brigyn, Côr Hŷn Glanaethwy and Côr Eifionydd makes this track extra special and I hope it raises a lot of awareness for the Living Room Cardiff.”
Dafydd Roberts, Chief Executive of Sain Records said, “It was a pleasure to host the recording of this song and to welcome such talented artists to the studios here, in aid of such a worthy cause. We hope everyone’s efforts will ensure the song succeeds in raising the awareness of this much needed resource”
For further information please contact Rhodri Ellis Owen at Cambrensis Communications on 029 2025 7075 or rhodri@cambrensis.uk.com or go to www.welshcouncil.org.uk.
Thursday, 7 April 2011
A new approach that will take away the power of addiction
The recent statistics published in the Western Mail regarding the epidemic levels of obesity and alcoholism in Wales suggest strongly that the current model of treatment has proven to be as effective as medieval remedies for ‘bad humours’. (“Obesity and alcohol cost Welsh NHS £150m a year”, March 30).
The fact that the medical establishment has been so unwilling to adopt alternate strategies for so long, even in the face of such damning statistics, tends to suggest that there is a deep intransigence right at the heart of the institutions that are supposed to be offering the most support.
The reason why there has been so little progress in treating the ever growing problem of addiction in our society is due to the fact that the model for treatment used is inappropriate.
The prevailing philosophy is that of ‘acute care’, unsuited to dealing with a chronic condition. This is why many treatment facilities for alcoholism operate a near revolving door policy, seeing the unfortunate addict back in the ward sometimes days after they have been discharged.
Many such units offer a patch-up service, sending the problem drinker back out to deal with the world after some rest, but without any of the tools he or she needs to achieve sobriety.
If we are to have any success at all, if we are to save countless lives each year, we must bring about a fundamental change in thinking as to how we support alcoholics. We must move away from the idea of treatment, with all the connotations it brings with it, the helpless patient and the omnipotent doctor, all wise and all knowing.
The most successful treatments for addiction are those that are peer based, and whilst this fact may run contrary to our society’s prevalent notions of how medical science works, it is none the less true and is born out by increasing statistical evidence.
There is actually no mystery as to why this is so. Addicts respond very well to other addicts who they can relate to, and who they can share experience and hope with. Recovery in Wales must be a shared experience, a community of individuals committed to mutual help and not another series of interventions by well meaning professionals.
It will now require a new attitude towards the addict from the rest of society as well. The days in which addiction was a shameful secret must be consigned to the past, given the scope of society’s addiction problems, it surely will be, one way or another.
We can bring that day forward by supporting recovering addicts to speak out, share their truth with all of us, to show how they found recovery and to give hope to all those still struggling with addiction. It is now time to give a face and a voice to recovery, and in doing so, to take away much of addiction’s power.
The fact that the medical establishment has been so unwilling to adopt alternate strategies for so long, even in the face of such damning statistics, tends to suggest that there is a deep intransigence right at the heart of the institutions that are supposed to be offering the most support.
The reason why there has been so little progress in treating the ever growing problem of addiction in our society is due to the fact that the model for treatment used is inappropriate.
The prevailing philosophy is that of ‘acute care’, unsuited to dealing with a chronic condition. This is why many treatment facilities for alcoholism operate a near revolving door policy, seeing the unfortunate addict back in the ward sometimes days after they have been discharged.
Many such units offer a patch-up service, sending the problem drinker back out to deal with the world after some rest, but without any of the tools he or she needs to achieve sobriety.
If we are to have any success at all, if we are to save countless lives each year, we must bring about a fundamental change in thinking as to how we support alcoholics. We must move away from the idea of treatment, with all the connotations it brings with it, the helpless patient and the omnipotent doctor, all wise and all knowing.
The most successful treatments for addiction are those that are peer based, and whilst this fact may run contrary to our society’s prevalent notions of how medical science works, it is none the less true and is born out by increasing statistical evidence.
There is actually no mystery as to why this is so. Addicts respond very well to other addicts who they can relate to, and who they can share experience and hope with. Recovery in Wales must be a shared experience, a community of individuals committed to mutual help and not another series of interventions by well meaning professionals.
It will now require a new attitude towards the addict from the rest of society as well. The days in which addiction was a shameful secret must be consigned to the past, given the scope of society’s addiction problems, it surely will be, one way or another.
We can bring that day forward by supporting recovering addicts to speak out, share their truth with all of us, to show how they found recovery and to give hope to all those still struggling with addiction. It is now time to give a face and a voice to recovery, and in doing so, to take away much of addiction’s power.
Monday, 22 June 2009
The greatest threat
It’s not terrorism or the terrorist threat that threatens to undermine the fabric of our society, today - it is addiction in its many vile, insidious and soul-destroying facets. Rooted in negativity, it tells us we’re not worthy; don’t deserve success, that we’re no good. And that sends us off on a wild goose chase to find something, some substance, person or activity that will help us ‘change our perception of reality’ - which has become too painful for us to endure. From that day onwards, we stop living, our emotional growth is arrested, and we inadvertently turn our backs on the Source of our being. We exist in a Hell of our own making. Addiction: that’s the greatest threat to our society today.
We all need to ask ourselves, “What is alcohol (or drugs – prescribed or illicit – or any other dependency, such as eating disorders, love and sex addiction, gambling and self-harm, etc) doing for us that we can’t do for ourselves?”
The answer to that question informs the kind of interventions and treatment we need to utilize in order to enable us to do all those things for ourselves.
See? We’re back with having to confront the burden of being human. There’s no getting away from it – we have to be brave in order to recover from addiction.
Are you going to be brave today? Or are you going to continue to run away from yourself, from responsibility, from life?
You have the choice.
We all need to ask ourselves, “What is alcohol (or drugs – prescribed or illicit – or any other dependency, such as eating disorders, love and sex addiction, gambling and self-harm, etc) doing for us that we can’t do for ourselves?”
The answer to that question informs the kind of interventions and treatment we need to utilize in order to enable us to do all those things for ourselves.
See? We’re back with having to confront the burden of being human. There’s no getting away from it – we have to be brave in order to recover from addiction.
Are you going to be brave today? Or are you going to continue to run away from yourself, from responsibility, from life?
You have the choice.
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