Recovery Matters Summer 2018-Issue #03 page 10 Contents The Challenge of Changing Stigma to Respect This Winter... Editorial DC 3 Changing Stigma Welcome to the Summer 2018 edition of Recovery Matters. This magazine has been put together by a Recovery from addiction groups 48% felt that accessing public participate by identifying solutions 4 Trauma group of people from Aberdeen in Recovery (AiR). from all over Scotland were invited services is the worst place to to the conditions in which to take part in a unique gathering in addiction thrives.” 6 Veterans & Recovery We want to make recovery visible and celebrate experience structural stigma. September last year organised by 20% found the family was the the process, as well as tackle serious issues which We would appreciate your thoughts 7 Food for Thought the Partnership for Action on Drugs worst place to experience it. are relevant to people who who have experience of and feedback on the above topics, in Scotland (PADS) Communities 8 Void of Disconnect problematic substance use and addictive behaviours. 67% of respondents had which will better inform the debate Sub Group. Key influencers from witnessed stigma towards people and research into how we challenge 10 PUIR AiR has a vision of a society which celebrates visible areas of public policy impacting in addiction or recovery in public stigma effectively. recovery and accepts its responsibility to participate on people with an addiction and 12 A Day in the Life services. 52% had witnessed this by identifying solutions to the conditions in which recovery experience were also Please get in touch if you have in families. 46% in the workforce. 13 Garden Project addiction thrives. invited to immerse themselves in personal experience and would like to contribute by emailing 14 AiR Media Group Our mission: to be a bridge from dependence to Scotland’s recovery community for Stigma by association, often independence for the individual seeking recovery from a day. The goal was to study stigma experienced by family members, [email protected] 15 What’s On problematic substance use and addictive behaviours. and reflect on our experiences of was experienced by 47% in or [email protected] . public services and 43% from in it together. (Content and report material Our objectives: the relief of the needs of those the family and 42% from within reprinted here by kind permission seeking to recover from addiction, their families, friends Over 300 people were present the workplace. and in furtherance of this by: on the day: two thirds of the of the PADS Community participants were in recovery from 46% “I don’t bother applying Sub group) 1) promoting the availability of supportive addiction or a family member for jobs because I know my resources of all kinds who had been affected by a loved addiction will be held against me” 2) working in partnership with other bodies to one’s addictive behaviours. One 47% “I often feel ashamed of 46% “I don’t achieve their purposes third of the participants identified my addiction and this holds me For more information about AiR, or to get involved, themselves as influencers. back in life.” bother applying for contact [email protected], call A report was created from the 40% “I often hide the fact that a jobs because I know 07936008808 or look them up on Facebook. findings from the event and family member of mine has/had Recovery is possible. published earlier this year, the an addiction.” my addiction will following is a brief synopsis of 46% “I am treated worse when it This publication and the training required for all three these findings. be held against me” stages of the AiR Time Project were provided by is known that a family member 99% of participants thought that a grant from the Aberdeen City Alcohol and Drugs has an addiction to drugs/ people do experience stigma and Partnership Communities Fund. alcohol.” discrimination because of an Is not time that we all have to accept addiction to drugs and or alcohol. THANK YOU that addiction is a human condition AiR committee and all its members would like to 92% of participants had and should be treated in the same 47% “I often extend a huge thank you to Aberdeen First Bus for witnessed a person being manner that any other debilitating or helping promote recovery by making the Recovery stigmatised or discriminated damaging health issue? feel ashamed of Matters magazine available on their bus services in against due to their addiction and Can we begin to accept that and around Aberdeen. or recovery. addiction is not an individual my addiction and Historic and ongoing research problem but a societal issue and and study has identified that should be addressed as such? As is this holds me back stigma can manifest in four major suggested in AiR’s Vision: “A society in life.” Supported by areas structural, public, stigma by which celebrates visible recovery association and self-stigma: and accepts its responsibility to 3 Trauma Trauma TraumaTrauma Trauma ER Take note of the word trauma - away or defend ourselves) our very and re-harness their energy for and thinking my way defensively you are going to hear it a lot. It’s clever operating system performs living. Using holistic approaches – through life over a nervous system the key to understanding not only a temporary shut down - a freeze practices, like yoga, tai chi, dance heightened for danger and threat. addiction but most other health, state – to protect us until we can. and meditative visualisation - that Sound like a recipe for self- social and even political issues. When we survive but our instinctive support us to connect mind, breath medication and addiction!? Cue responses don’t get to c.o.m.p.l.e.t.e and body together, we are given It happens when we are exposed alcohol, drugs and any other effectively, they get S-S-S-TUCK on the power and the tools to ease to actual, threatened or perceived numbing and distracting behaviours. RE-RE-RE-REPEAT. We then get the anguish, re-wire and allow death, serious injury or sexual left feeling deeply defeated, perhaps ourselves to grow, little by little, as Finding holistic approaches that violation. Sounds extreme and helpless and with a nervous system far as our imaginations can stretch. help to re-integrate our instinctual sometimes the events involved are always primed and ready for the bodies and our thinking minds have obvious but it’s also important to In the north east of Scotland, we next threat. Great for survival but a been pivotal to the quality of my understand trauma with a little ‘t’ now have many highly skilled wretched combination for living! recovery. Over the years, I have and how important our perception holistic practitioners, many with their researched, trained, practised, of a situation is. For example as an Trauma makes things serious and own lived experience of trauma and yoga-ed, meditated, drummed, adult we may know a child is safe turns the world into a hostile place. addiction. Aberdeen in Recovery danced, sang, written, lost and but are we sure that they know and It robs us of being comfortable, is looking forward to collaborating found hope and many-other-thing- feel it too? spontaneous and actually present with them on exciting, effective, in the here and now. In some cases flexible and fun programmes to give ed my way into freedom, excitement What someone experiences as the effects are triggered mostly in its members choices in their own and wellbeing. traumatic is personal and relative situations similar to the cause but journeys to wellbeing and freedom. I am excited by my work developing to their ability or perceived ability to in others and in ongoing trauma, programmes, workshops and act in the world. This is never more Personal these unfinished reactions become retreats for recovery from trauma relevant than in infants and children generalized and fire up everywhere My name is Emma. I have been and on trauma-proofing ourselves whose abilities are determined by we go and in everything we do! It’s in recovery from addiction for 14 and our children. I am on maternity their developmental stage as well as years. no wonder that many people have and will be bringing out these ‘Be- the input and support they receive. developed addictions in order to I wasn’t able to feel much Our-Free’ offerings during 2019. One-off events, even ones that may cope and escape. excitement throughout much of my seem harmless to an onlooker, can I am also hugely enthused to be Dr. Stephen Porges describes life. What I know now is that any leave a lasting impact. For children involved and collaborating with humanity as a ‘traumatised time I started to feel it, or any other who repeatedly experience threat, Aberdeen in Recovery and the lived species’ and the goal of civilisation sense of arousal, I was triggered injury or illness or who don’t receive experience community in its new as ‘turning off our evolutionary back into childhood events when I the support and reassurance they role and progressive approach to defense system’. Understanding, was helpless and defeated. These need, the results can be profound. supporting individuals, families and events taught me to disconnect healing and preventing the effects communities in the north east of When we feel threatened, our of trauma is about bringing brains from my feelings and instincts and Scotland become free of addiction bodies go into automatic fight or and bodies, biology and biographies instead of them guiding me towards and trauma.