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Wynford Ellis Owen, Chief Executive of the Cardiff-based charity, The Welsh Council for Alcohol and other Drugs, has been selected to receive a prestigious Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship to enable him to visit a number of new recovery community centres in the US. These centres stand out as they have achieved long-term recovery from severe alcohol and other drug related problems [Wynford Ellis OWen, WIred In]
Michaela has asked for information on how to respond to someone who writes about their bereavement on Wired In, and I’d like to add my thoughts to Elizabeth’s. Particularly with a substance-related death, people find it very difficult to know just what to say, and often even end up avoiding the issue. This is largely due to stigma and is yet another blow for those bereaved [Ian MacDonald, Wired In]
I cannot write anything just yet, but thank you for your posts, Irene thank you for the lovely poems and thoughts. My son wrote this about his brother and was brave enough to read it at the funeral and is quite happy for me to share it on my blog [Susan C, Wired In]
I’ve completed my step 4. This has been harder than I thought it would be. It affected me in ways that I couldn’t understand. Telling myself I don’t need a programme and that I could go out and have a drink, even though I know deep down that it would destroy all the hard work I’ve put in [Mark Burns, Wired In]
Glued to my screen like a twelve year old, with feet twitching and lips synching, I tune in faithfully every week to see a bunch of dysfunctional, disenfranchised misfits come together in a ramshackle community and overcome their difficulties through mutual support. It’s Glee [Androcles, Wired In]
Introduces a classification of psychoactive drugs based on their major mode of impact on the mind, and briefly illustrates the multitude of factors that influence the way that a drug can affect a person and ultimately contribute to a drug problem [David Clark, Wired In]
Today, I have devoted Daily Dose to people who have lost loved ones to drugs and alcohol, the people we have lost, and to all those people who are helping families, friends and carers of those people affected by substance use problems [David Clark, Wired In]
So why is this a story about recovery? Because we too, as his family, had to recover from the trauma and the gap that he left in our lives… What our experience has done, is to give us a great insight to, and an absorbing interest in, the substance misuse and recovery field [Irene and Ian MacDonald, WIred In]
Addiction affects your whole life. We’d always be waiting for a knock on the door to say that Kevin was dead. Whenever the phone rang, my heart would lurch [Kerry Manley, Wired In]
Over the last few weeks Sue has shared her thoughts and some of her grief. She has also found the time and strength to support others within this community. Today she has been saying goodbye. Sue has been engaged, and will continue to engage, in defining what ‘Recovery’ means to her [Alastair, Wired In]
Well to all, am up early to send an e-mail and read Sue and her day and just lost it – crumbled to a shell. So Sue this is a poem I was given many years ago when I attended AA. It was by a lady who lost her daughter. I believe, her husband was a policeman high up and she, like me an addict, yet fighting hard to get her life back [Martin Bailey, Wired In]
What do you if you don’t want to believe something? You can’t bury your head in the sand because once you pull your head out it will still be there. What do they call it, ‘the elephant in the room’ – it took me a long time to actually understand what people meant by this [Susan C, Wired In]
So with your pain a life saving message. And Michael will be on the phone in our recovery message, when the still struggling addict calls us in pain. We can not replace your son, but you now have millions of recovery sons and daughters with love and belonging [Verve, Wired In]
As many of you may be aware today Susan says goodbye to her son Michael. I would ask all of you in the Wired In community to think of Susan and Michael today and to add messages of support below. Thank you [Michaela, Wired In]
I’m ready, all dessed and smart – so I will leave now and get through today somehow. Thank you for your love, thoughts, readings and prayers [Susan C, Wired In]
Tomorrow is Wednesday when my son will no longer exist. I know he will exist in my memories but his body will be gone and I will be left with ashes. Ashes of what once was a vibrant young man – my son, Michael [Susan C, Wired In]
It’s still Monday night and I don’t know what to do. I feel a little bit in control now but so very, very lonely. I know I have many people who love me and my partner would coming rushing down if he knew how I felt. But I just want Michael [Susan C, Wired In]
I really thought I was coping well. Many people said I was handling the whole situation well, whilst many of my closer friends said I was acting as if it hadn’t happened. On the whole I felt numb, but able to cope [Susan C, Wired In]
May I encourage the bereaved members of Wired In to use therapeutic writing to express how they feel. I wrote the letter below in October 2008, 4 years after my son died. I realised even after four years how angry I was but writing it down inspired me not to give up hope that I could use my loss, our loss, to help others. Hence I wrote my book and set up my charity DrugFAM. Friday 19th February will be the 6th anniversary of my son’s death [Elizabeth Burton-Phillips, Wired In]
I have visited agencies that would have been in my son’s life, trying to understand what they do and how they do it. I have discussed with them how my involvement according to them was non existent. Maybe they did not know that I was at home crying for help. Talking to them has helped me understand from their point of view [Ann Marie, Wired In]
