Marc Laithwaite and his incredible team of staff and volunteers have supported our founder Rich …
The loss of a friend, Phil, who died alone in a temporary bed sit at …
I love interacting with people in recovery from addiction, and many have become my close …
At a time when our society is becoming more and more disconnected, we need to …
Keep up to date on our What’s On page.
Atebion (the Welsh word for ‘Solutions’) is a unique not-for-profit grassroots initiative based in North Wales, which has been developed to help people overcome addiction and other forms of adversity in natural community settings, as well as tackle the disconnection in society that is having a negative impact on our social and emotional wellbeing.
By fostering connection and shared purpose, we will help build stronger and more compassionate communities, where everyone has the opportunity to heal, build resilience, and thrive.
Atebion will empower individuals, families and communities to overcome one of society’s most overlooked problems – disconnection, and the symptoms that arise as a consequence, such as addiction, trauma, and mental health challenges.
Through our Eight Principles of Change (EPOC) Programme, storytelling initiatives and educational resources, we will empower people with lived experience to rewrite their story and become Recovery Advocates who will create hope, understanding, and a sense of belonging.
Guided by our core values of acceptance, trust, creativity, courage and reciprocity, we will support individuals and communities to help discover, connect and mobilise their assets.
Atebion was founded by Rich Price, a person in long-term recovery from addiction and brought to life through the contributions of our entire team. It was developed in response to the poor recovery outcomes in the mainstream system, and the latter’s failure to adequately tackle problems that lead to addiction and related problems.
Our strategy has been developed in collaboration with Professor David Clark, an internationally recognised recovery advocate and developer of grassroots initiatives. It is based on the experiences of people who have overcome great adversity, as well as the ideas of world-leading experts.
Learn more about the Atebion Model here.
Our blog posts will keep you informed of Atebion’s various activities, our ongoing reflections, and the views of world-leading experts on themes related to overcoming adversity and preventing disconnection.
The loss of a friend, Phil, who died alone in a temporary bed sit at the hands of addiction, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It prompted me to find another gear and give up paid employment to pursue the vision I had of empowering individuals to move beyond a state of recovery maintenance …
I love interacting with people in recovery from addiction, and many have become my close friends. I have a lot of respect for people in recovery, and at times have been in awe. I am amazed at some of the adversities that many people face—not just in their addiction, but also the …
At a time when our society is becoming more and more disconnected, we need to strengthen our communities and improve the landscape by nurturing and healing. Connection with others, shared experiences, safety and comfort, are all within our grasp if we are willing to …
“Human beings are storytelling creatures, that’s how we best learn, that’s how we best communicate. So when the storytellers in our society tell their stories, they end up having a powerful impact.”
Dr Bruce D. Perry
Stories help us to develop empathy. They allow us to understand another person’s world from their perspective. Stories give us unique access to the inner lives and motivations of others. They contain so much more information than we can convey in the statement of facts.
You have to realise my state of thinking prior to that first group meeting in the treatment agency. Once I had become addicted to heroin, I did not see that there was any alternative to the life I was living. I didn’t know anyone who had overcome heroin addiction. I had never heard…
I grew up around alcohol. Drinking was a daily thing for my parents and wider family, who ran bars, pubs, and clubs. I saw the fun, and I saw the damage it caused. Some of my relatives drank themselves to the bitter end, but at such a young age this was overlooked, as these people were my heroes.
For more inspirational stories visit our dedicated Stories page or watch the video below …
This powerful conversation portrays Elissa’s story of overcoming addiction, her journey into treatment and the complications she encountered following residential recovery.
Elissa talks openly about the turning point in her life, her experience of family and relationship breakdowns, and her hopes for a brighter future as an advocate with Atebion.
Check out the Prof’s Wise Words section
