Recovery Stories: Peer support for Connection and Compassion Enabling Recovery from Alcohol and drugs

Podcast by Lucia D’Ambruoso

English

Personal stories & conversations

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About Recovery Stories: Peer support for Connection and Compassion Enabling Recovery from Alcohol and drugs

This podcast series shares community empowerment experiences from peer supporters working with Turning Point Scotland in Aberdeenshire helping communities dealing with alcohol and drug problems. Practitioners and peer support workers share how they have used their personal experiences to help at-risk groups supporting recovery from addiction through processes of connection and compassion. Communities play critical roles in public health. The active participation of communities in health services has long been recognised as a pro-equity approach enhancing legitimacy and acceptability of decisions, and furthering trust in public institutions. Community empowerment can complement health systems responses, address health inequalities, and build future resilience. The pandemic severed many, critical links between service users and providers, however, and put extraordinary demands on existing services. There is lack of trust within and between experts, institutions, health care workers, and population groups, who experienced significant impacts. In this scenario, support mechanisms enabling connection and trust relationships require urgent attention. Despite support, there is a lack of practical guidance on how to ‘do’ community engagement and empowerment, especially in the settings and for the populations most severely affected. While health systems are committed to tackling inequalities, connecting with people living with complex lives and needs is highly challenging. Peer support is the process of giving and receiving nonprofessional, nonclinical assistance from individuals with similar conditions or circumstances to achieve long-term recovery from psychiatric, alcohol, and/or other drug-related problems (Tracey and Wallace, 2016). Turning Point Scotland (TPS) provides an established community service bringing together people with shared experiences in safe spaces of connection and compassion. The series is hosted by Dr Lucia D’Ambruoso from the Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science within the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition.

All episodes

4 episodes

Di’s Story: Personal transformation and freedom from addiction

Di Mitchell is lead practitioner for peer support services in Banff, with Turning Point Scotland. In this podcast, Di shares her journey from engaging with the service as a client, to becoming a practitioner and professional in her own right and providing services in the Banff area. Di’s peer support work is deeply person-centred, offering opportunities and activities for personal transformation and freedom from addiction. Di shares her perspectives on the benefits and challenges of peer support, including how services are addressing the stigma surrounding drug and alcohol addiction, and on the future of the service.

13 Jan 2023 - 24 min

Amanda’s Story: Supporting people in recovery to connect, build confidence and trust

Amanda Stephen is lead practitioner for peer support services in Fraserburgh, with Turning Point Scotland. In this podcast, Amanda shares how she initially engaged with the service during active addiction and early recovery, and how this built and led to a professional role in provision of peer support services. Amanda describes how the service supports people in recovery to connect, build confidence, trust and relationships of loving acceptance through safe, consistent and authentic peer support. Amanda also shares insights of a changing drug and alcohol scene in Fraserburgh, especially with regards to young people, and outlines the potential of the service to respond; through a focus on prevention as well as to provide support for people in recovery.

12 Jan 2023 - 34 min

Kathleen's Story: Addressing stigma and isolation associated with addiction

Kathleen Donaldson came to be involved in peer support volunteer services following the death of her husband. Kathleen describes being a peer supporter in her community, and how her work addresses the stigma and isolation associated with addiction that she experienced. Kathleen outlines the breadth of highly person-centred support through peer work, and personal rewards related to belonging, identity, recognition, purpose, improved quality of life and being a valued member of the community. Kathleen provides these services on a voluntary basis.

11 Jan 2023 - 27 min

Ashley's Story: Empowering people to overcome addiction

Ashley Grant came to be involved in peer support through her own journey of addiction and recovery. Following 10 years of heroin addiction, Ashley engaged with and took up peer support worker roles for recovery groups across Aberdeen City and Shire. Ashley’s peer support work promotes acceptance, integration and inclusion, empowering people to recognise who they are and build on their skills and strengths to overcome addiction. Ashley has recently started new work on the uptake of national standards for safe, accessible, quality drug treatment in Scotland.

11 Jan 2023 - 41 min

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