Open Road Vange

29/09/2025

🛝 Park fun on todays Peer Support Walk and Talk.

🕐 1pm every monday.

29/09/2025

🤝Big welcome to our new Recovery Volunteer Jane.

🫶Jane wants to volunteer at our centre to fulfil her passion for helping people and to learn new skills. We're thrilled to have you on board. Welcome to the team.

29/09/2025

💜🗞

'We are currently supporting approximately 500 clients' 👇

26/09/2025

❤️💛💚🩷💜

26/09/2025

🎉Congratulations to our Service Manager Lauren for celebrating her 5 years of recovery on 23rd of September.

💪Lauren is epitome of hope and what good things can come when you see your recovery through with determination and drive.

🫶Begin to love yourself and dreams can happen.

25/09/2025

💅 Another happy client taking advantage of our Nails for Gals Project. (Running alongside Haircuts for Clients thanks to the Essex Recovery Foundation Fund)

🗣 She said that it felt amazing to get out into the community and do something for herself. Something that she has been neglecting since recent struggles. She really enjoyed the experience and said that everyone at Beauty Therapy looked after her. She also said she will be returning to take advantage of other beauty therapies. It's amazing to see the shine on clients faces taking advantage of this project. Building confidence and self esteem is the exact reason we launched it. Our client is currently 16 weeks abstinent from substances and this is little injection of self-care has just made it that little bit easier.

🫶 Speak to your keyworker, Jamie or a volunteer if you would like to book an appointment for free UV Gel Polish - any colour.

25/09/2025

📈 Our secondary garden progress

🌱 After all Julian's hard work rotavating the garden he seeded it and has been giving it the essential TLC needed. We're blown away by the results. Big things planned for this garden.

25/09/2025

✍️ Here is a poem that our Peer Mentor Reid wrote in active addiction. Since these hard times Reid had graduated from Sharp Rehab and is now volunteering at our centre. Reid has now been abstinent for 7.5 months.

✒️ Going forward Reid is looking to start a Creative Writing Group at our centre which we are in the process of starting. If you are interested in attending, please come and speak to Reid at our centre.

🗣 Creative writing can be a powerful tool in recovery from substance misuse, because it gives people a safe way to express, explore, and reframe their experiences. Here are the key ways it helps:

✍️ 1. Expression Without Judgment

Writing gives space to release feelings that may be hard to say out loud — anger, guilt, grief, or hope.

It provides a “private conversation” with yourself where nothing has to be censored.

🌱 2. Making Sense of the Journey

Putting experiences into words helps organise thoughts and make meaning from what can feel chaotic.

People can see how far they’ve come by looking back at earlier entries.

💡 3. Identifying Triggers & Patterns

Journaling about daily life, cravings, or emotions can reveal patterns — showing what situations or feelings put recovery at risk.

Awareness is the first step to relapse prevention.

💜 4. Reconnecting With Identity

Addiction often strips away the sense of self.

Creative writing helps rediscover who you are beyond substances — your values, dreams, and voice.

🌟 5. Building Hope & Vision

Writing exercises like gratitude lists, letters to the “future me,” or recovery poems foster optimism and motivation.

Imagination becomes a tool for envisioning the life you’re building.

🤝 6. Strengthening Connection

Sharing writing in groups can reduce isolation, showing that others feel the same struggles.

It builds community and a sense of being understood.

24/09/2025

💅Nails for gals up and running. Thank you Kindred Beauty Therapy for supporting our project.

24/09/2025

🧠 In yesterday's Relapse Prevention we discussed the importance of meeting your basic/physiological needs in recovery.

✅Sleep
✅Nutrition
✅Hydration
✅Exercise/Movement
✅Rest/Relaxation
✅Health Care

🗣 When these basic needs aren’t met, everything else becomes harder. We’re more tired, more irritable, more stressed — and cravings can feel stronger. Sometimes, relapse isn’t about a lack of willpower at all; it’s simply that the body is running on empty and looking for quick relief.

💧Recovery starts with giving our bodies what they need to function. Eating regularly, staying hydrated, sleeping well, and moving. Our bodies are not luxuries — they’re the foundation of stability. When we take care of these needs first, we put ourselves in the best position to handle stress, manage cravings, and move toward higher goals in recovery.

23/09/2025

💚 Green reminds me I can grow, healing faster than I know.

23/09/2025

🤝 Meet our new Recovery Volunteer Lauren. Passionate and motivated for a career change, Lauren is keen to work in our sector so wants to volunteer to gain experience as well as giving back. Lauren has had an active first day, attending Jamie's Recovery Support Intervention Training, Shadowing appointments as well Relapse Prevention.

☕ Come and meet Lauren tomorrow at Breakfast Club.

🫶 Welcome to the team Lauren - we're thrilled to have you on board.