We want the Atebion community hub in Llandudno to be somewhere people can contribute as …
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 …
Human beings are wired for connection. Safe, consistent and nurturing relationships provide one of the strongest protections against adversity. When those connections are absent, fractured or unsafe, people can become more vulnerable to isolation, emotional distress and harmful ways of coping.
For many people affected by addiction, the substance or behaviour is only part of the picture. Trauma, loneliness, poor mental health, fractured relationships, loss of purpose and a diminished sense of belonging can all shape the circumstances in which addiction develops and persists.
Treatment has, to some degree, an important role to play and, for some, is essential. But treatment alone is rarely the sole solution. It can initiate the process of recovery, yet people ultimately return to their families, neighbourhoods and communities, often residing in or around the same conditions that contributed to their difficulties in the first place.
True recovery therefore takes place within community.
This understanding sits at the heart of our approach to Community-Centred Relational Recovery. Alongside the person-centred work we do, we recognise the importance of creating the wider social conditions in which recovery can be sustained. Safe relationships, connection, purpose, belonging and opportunities to contribute are all vital components of recovery.
Through the courses we have designed and co-developed, alongside storytelling, workshops and community initiatives, we co-create opportunities for reflection, learning, connection and personal development. But we also look beyond the individual.
Drawing on the principles of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), we work to identify, connect and mobilise the strengths, relationships, skills and resources that already exist within communities. In doing so, we seek not only to support people through recovery, but to nurture communities that are better able to support recovery themselves.
Because if lasting change is the aim, working with the individual is only part of the task. We must also pay attention to the relationships, environments and communities to which people belong.
