Addictions Services Northumberland What is Recovery?

Transcription

1 Addictions Services Northumberland What is Recovery? Patient Information Leaflet Shining a light on the future

2 What is recovery? People can and do recover from even the most serious and long-term addiction problems. Recovery is a unique and individual experience and while there may be common themes and experiences, no two people s recovery journeys will be identical. We believe that recovery is possible and happens every day. We believe in offering you hope and aspiration. We recognise the importance of work and leisure, positive relationships and the importance of carers and loved ones in bringing about your full recovery. Professor John Strang, who led an expert group which included service users, defined the spirit of recovery as: an individual process or journey rather than a pre-determined destination. It is built on hope in order to sustain motivation and support expectations of an individually fulfilled life. about enabling people to gain a sense of control over their own problems, the services they receive and their lives. helping people to find opportunities to participate in wider society. culturally appropriate In talking about recovery we know that it is not necessarily easy or straightforward. Many people describe the need to persevere and to find ways to maintain hope through the most trying times. Key themes of recovery While recovery is a unique and individual experience it is possible to identify key themes and ideas in relation to the experience. The following list, while not exhaustive, highlights some of the most commonly identified elements. Recovery as a journey The recovery journey can have ups and downs and some people describe being in recovery rather than recovered to reflect this. Hope, optimism and strengths Hope is widely acknowledged as key to recovery. There can be no change without the belief that a better life is both possible and attainable. One way to realise a more hopeful approach is to find ways to focus on strengths. More than recovery from illness Some people describe being in recovery while still experiencing symptoms. For some it is about recovering a life and identity beyond the experience of addiction. Control, choice and inclusion Taking control can be hard but many people describe how it important it is to find a way to take an active and responsible role in their own recovery. Control is supported by the inclusion of people with who have had experiences of drug and alcohol issues in their communities. The positive effect of meeting someone who has had similar experiences to you and has recovered, cannot be under estimated. It is reduced by the experience of exclusion, stigma and discrimination. 2

3 Self management One way to gain more control over recovery is to develop and use self management techniques. Your Recovery Co-ordinator can help you with self management techniques. Finding meaning and purpose We all find meaning in very different ways. Some people may find spirituality important, while others may find meaning through employment or the development of stronger interpersonal or community links. Many people describe the importance of feeling valued and of contributing as active members of a community. Relationships Supportive relationships based on belief, trust and shared humanity help promote recovery. As a service, and in partnership with our colleagues from other services, we have developed a programme to help you recover from addictions and related issues, to give you the best chance of freedom from addiction. While we work together we will: Address what medication needs you have. Help you find a way out. Help you find out what you want for the future. Assist you to get involved with other services to aid your recovery. Help you to leave the service and maintain ongoing recovery. 3

4 Your recovery Our approach is made up of 4 stages. Stage 1 Build At this stage staff will raise your awareness of how you feel about your drug/alcohol problem. Together with your Recovery Co-ordinator you will be able to weigh up the consequences of your drug/alcohol use giving you the opportunity to consider change. Stage 2 New Life At this stage you will be encouraged and supported to commit to action to make the lifestyle change you want, building on your beliefs that the world around you will be better when commitments to change and to recovery are made. Stage 3 Learning to Fly At this stage, where healthy relationships are being rebuilt, you will discover and use beneficial alternative behavioural styles. You will have learnt, and will be using, ways of dealing with situations to avoid falling into the old trap of harmful drug taking and alcohol use - dealing with life on life s terms. Stage 4 Flying the Nest To assist you in leaving the service successfully you and your Recovery Co-ordinator will explore what choices you need to consider in reinforcing and strengthening the change. At each stage you will meet with your Recovery Co-ordinator. They will help guide you through your recovery to help you meet your goals. Stage 1 Build Stage 2 New Life Entry The Cycle Exit Stage 3 Learning to Fly Stage 4 Flying The Nest 4

5 How the partnership works and how it can benefit you We work closely with other services to support your recovery. For example: Alcoholics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous Escape Drug Intervention Programmes The Cyrenians Service User Forums NECA SWAN Project Jobcentre Plus Clean Slate We have included information on these services in your Recovery Pack. Each service provides specialised treatment and support. Together we will develop a plan for you involving the services and supports necessary to help you along your recovery journey. We also provide jointly run groups on a range of topics, for example: Safer injecting Overdose awareness Employment skills Help with sleep Anxiety management Coping with depression Sexual health Blood borne virus - hepatitis, HIV Healthy eating Trigger to drug use and coping strategies We hope you will make use of these groups and we will encourage you to take part. Again, further information about these groups is included in your Recovery Pack. What happens to me when I first start my recovery? The first steps towards recovery will be substituting illicit drug use with a prescribed medication. This is called titration. On day one of titration you will see a doctor who will prescribe you medication to help you with withdrawals. You will also meet a member of our team who will take you to the pharmacy and then to ESCAPE. At ESCAPE we will talk about your needs and form a plan on topics such as: Housing Debts/benefits Blood Borne Virus ie. Hepatitis B immunisation, Hepatitis C testing Employment 5

6 Training Education Other people to involve in your care Outcome Star We will work together in developing your Outcome Star. This is a diagram which shows your recovery progress and improvements in specific areas of your life that you may need help with. 6

7 How long will I be involved? Everyone is different and the length of time the programme lasts is very much up to you. However we know that the best outcomes are achieved and relapse is least likely to occur when a person is not involved with us for more than 18 months. Useful contacts ESCAPE 24 hour helpline Tel: NHS Direct Tel: Out of hours GP Tel: Narcotics Anonymous Tel: Alcoholics Anonymous Tel: Drug Intervention Programme (DIP Team) Tel: / Carer Support Tel: Other useful information 7

8 Contact details Blyth Valley Addiction Service 2 Sextant House Freehold Street, Blyth Tel: Central & Rural Addiction Service Greenacres Green Lane Ashington Northumberland NE63 8BL Tel: Harm Reduction Service Bowes Street, Blyth Tel: Satellite Bases North Addiction Service (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) 15 Wallace Green Berwick Northumberland TD15 1EB Tel: West Addiction Service (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) Tanners House 20 Gilesgate Hexham Northumberland NE46 3QD Tel: Please contact Central and Rural Addictions Service when the satellite bases are closed. References NTA (2012) Medications in recovery: re-orientating drug dependence treatment. National Treatment Agency for Substance Abuse. 8

9 What if I have a comment, suggestion, compliment or complaint about the service? If you want to make a comment, suggestion, compliment or complaint you can talk to the people directly involved in your care or you can complete a feedback form. Feedback forms are available from Trust staff Complaints Department Tel: You can complete a feedback form electronically by visiting the Trust Website (click on the Contact Us tab) Patient Opinion website Points of You feedback cards are available at all of our bases or from your Recovery Co-ordinator. Further information about the content or production of this leaflet can be obtained from the Patient Information Centre. This information can be made available in a range of formats on request (eg Braille, audio, large print, BSL, easy read or other languages). Please contact the Patient Information Centre Tel: Published by the Patient Information Centre 2012 Copyright, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust Ref, PIC/662/0812 August 2012 V1 Tel: Review date 2015