Recovery Stories

03/11/2025

Recovery Walk NI 2025: ARC Fitness
Here are links to five separate short films of the Recovery Walk in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The first focuses on the speech given by Gary Rutherford, Founder of ARC Fitness, in Ebrington Square before we set off. There follows three films of the actual walk through the city, and across the Peace Bridge. The third involves a beautiful choir followed by a rock band and Gary's thanks. Well done ARC for organising the event.

Here are links to five separate short films, the first focusing on the speech given by Gary Rutherford in Ebrington Square before we set off. There follows three films of the actual walk through the city, which ended up back at our start point after we crossed the Peace Bridge.

11/10/2025

The Recovery Walk NI in Derry/Londonderry that Linda and I attended along with good friends at ARC Fitness. Such an enjoyable occasion. Four films, one of Gary Rutherford's (Founder of ARC) introduction, and three of the walk totalling just under 11 minutes.

Gary Rutherford, Founder of ARC Fitness (Addiction Recovery Coaching), a recovery community based in Derry/Londonderry, opens the Recovery Walk Northern Irel...

22/09/2025

My Visit and Talks in North Wales
I had a wonderful time in North Wales visiting old friends at North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC) in Bangor and Eternal Media in Wrexham, and met lots of new friends, some of whom I have been communicating with via Zoom.

I had a wonderful time in North Wales visiting old friends at North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC) in Bangor and Eternal Media in Wrexham, and met lots of new friends, some of whom I have been communicating with via Zoom. I would take this opportunity to thank James...

04/09/2025

Taking a Break
I will be giving a talk at 19.00-21.00 on 12 September in Penrhyn Hall, the Council building in Bangor. Most of the talk will be different to the one I gave at Bwyd Da Bangor last year. After my stay in North Wales (which is work and play), it's holiday time and the Recovery Walk in Derry/Londonderry.

I will be giving a talk at 19.00-21.00 on 12 September in Penrhyn Hall, the Council building in Bangor. Most of the talk will be different to the one I gave at Bwyd Da Bangor last year. You can see the film made by Eternal Media of that talk here. The second part of that talk focused on...

27/08/2025

Mount Snowden (Yr Wyddfa): Saffron Roberts
James Deakin came to sit with me when we got back to Penrhyn House. At the time, I didn’t really think that I could do all that was required to find long-term recovery. James congratulated me on my Snowden achievement, and explained that I didn’t need to focus on my whole recovery journey. He said: ‘All you’ve got to do, is do it in stages....'

James Deakin came to sit with me when we got back to Penrhyn House. At the time, I didn’t really think that I could do all that was required to find long-term recovery. James congratulated me on my Snowden achievement, and explained that I didn’t need to focus on my whole...

20/08/2025

‘What Happened? What Mental Health is Really About’: Bill Saunders
The compelling evidence is that all psychopharmacology changes your brain chemistry, even though there’s absolutely no evidence that your brain chemistry is in any way aberrant. Thus, you will get nasty side effects, develop tolerance, and if you cease using ‘psych meds,’ you will have nasty withdrawals (oops, sorry, ‘discontinuation syndrome.’) https://www.recoveryvoices.info/what-happened-what-mental-health-is-really-about-bill-saunders/

19/08/2025

Recovery Storytelling and Advocacy: Meghann Perry
Be authentic. The best stories are short, honest, intimate, humble, and full of heart. They don’t need embellishment, scintillating details, or unbelievable feats. They don’t need self-promotion or manipulation to make the protagonist heroic. The truth of recovery stands powerfully enough on its own.

Be authentic. The best stories are short, honest, intimate, humble, and full of heart. They don’t need embellishment, scintillating details, or unbelievable feats. They don’t need self-promotion or manipulation to make the protagonist heroic. The truth of recovery stands powerfully enough...

18/08/2025

Recovery in the Context of Community
‘Addiction and recovery are more than something that happens inside someone. Each involves deep human needs in interaction with a social environment. For addicts, addiction meets a multiplicity of needs and the culture of addiction provides a valued cocoon where these needs can be, and historically have been, met.'

‘Addiction and recovery are more than something that happens inside someone. Each involves deep human needs in interaction with a social environment. For addicts, addiction meets a multiplicity of needs and the culture of addiction provides a valued cocoon where these needs can be, and historicall...

13/08/2025

Disconnection and Addiction: Bruce Alexander.. addiction to drugs and alcohol, and to a wide variety of other activities is increasing because people are being torn from the close ties to family, culture, and traditional spirituality that constituted the normal fabric of life in pre-modern times. This kind of global society subjects people to unrelenting pressures towards individualism and competition, dislocating them from social life.

I believe that we who care about addiction and the environment must continue the heroic rescue work, but I also believe that the even more essential task is getting rid of “the-son of-a-bitch upstream,” i.e., the vicious cycle that is described by the global, historical view of addiction.

12/08/2025

Beyond the Individual: David Best
David describes two important questions about recovery communities or groups: Can the connectedness of recovery communities inspire similar changes more broadly across the wider community? Can they be the glue or the inspiration for re-engaging a range of excluded and marginalised groups and individuals?

David describes two important questions about recovery communities or groups: Can the connectedness of recovery communities inspire similar changes more broadly across the wider community? Can they be the glue or the inspiration for re-engaging a range of excluded and marginalised groups and individ...

10/08/2025

Trauma and Addiction: James Deakin (Conversation from 2023)
James believes that trauma-related matters are badly under-resourced, although awareness is increasing in Wales. He points out that numbers of men who were affected by institutional sexual abuse are ‘basically full-on addicts’ and have been for years. Everyday people only see these men’s addiction; they don’t see the traumatised children who sit behind it all.

James believes that trauma-related matters are badly under-resourced, although awareness is increasing in Wales. He points out that numbers of men who were affected by institutional sexual abuse are ‘basically full-on addicts’ and have been for years. Everyday people only see these men’s addic...

07/08/2025

Compelling Words: Bessel van der Kolk
We are fundamentally social creatures—our brains are wired to foster working and playing together. Trauma devastates the social-engagement system and interferes with cooperation, nurturing, and the ability to function as a productive member of the clan... Yet institutions that deal with traumatized children and adults all too often...

We are fundamentally social creatures—our brains are wired to foster working and playing together. Trauma devastates the social-engagement system and interferes with cooperation, nurturing, and the ability to function as a productive member of the clan... Yet institutions that deal with traumatize...