My name is Sarah, and I am a regular and well-known face in Recovery groups in North Wales. This is not because I have lived experience of addiction, but because I am an active and passionate supporter of many local peer-led communities, both in the world of Recovery and beyond.
So what makes me want to inhabit this world of Recovery?
As a Mental Health Nurse working in a Substance Misuse Treatment Agency for 20 years, it did not take long before I began to question whether the treatments we were prescribing and providing were really effective enough to tackle the underlying problems that people were presenting to me.
Yes, we could help people to stop drinking or using but what then? Who helps you to stay stopped? The people I was meeting wanted to be listened to, validated and supported constantly, to enable them to heal, but treatment services offered only short appointments, 09.00-17.00, Monday to Friday.
So what changed?
A couple of people in North Wales who had managed to achieve Recovery decided to form a group to fill in the gaps and I jumped on board. Over the last 15 years I have been involved in the development of communities where Peers willingly give of themselves to support each other. These communities have flourished and grown, and just like any healthy organism, they have multiplied. I have learnt so much from my experiences with people who have overcome adversity in their lives! They shine out as examples to all communities because of their honesty, bravery, steadfastness, and passion. How lucky am I to have people like that as my friends?
Atebion believes that these people’s stories should be freely available to inspire and empower others. These amazing people can go forward and have a long-lasting and positive impact on our wider community. 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 listen and learn from the people who know.
I am pleased and proud to be able to say that I am part of this process with Atebion.