Billie Hands shares experience of her first DDN conference
Thank you
What an awesome day!
Billie Hands shares experience of her first DDN conference
Icame up on the train from London with my fellow service users. This was great in itself as I got to catch up with peers that I sometimes don’ t get to see.
The talks that I went to were really informative, interesting and inspiring – as were the stalls! I was instructed on using naloxone as a life-saving treatment for heroin OD and now carry a take-home kit.
I heard about the amazing advances in hepatitis C treatment. I was one of the first at St Mary’ s Hospital hep C trials in 1999. It was a one-year treatment of injections in rotation – stomach, hip, stomach, hip – for one year. It was truly a nightmare and very harsh treatment, but I was cured so all came good. Now it’ s eight weeks of tablets and a higher success rate. I met B-3 together [ Brent’ s service user council ] and am hoping to visit them soon. Every service user’ s dream – a peer led, peer run organisation. OMG, the food was just awesome, the dessert to die for, lashings of coffee and bickies!
Early in my recovery I found the joy of doing beading and jewellery making, so I set out my bag of beads on our Turning Point table. Armed with my stretchy elastic, I was ready! I had all sorts come and make them. Some were struggling; some had days, months or years of sobriety under their belts, and there were some who help us keep sober. One thing we all had in common was finding that making a stretchy beaded bracelet brings laughter, joy, serious talk, comradery, achievement and much, much more laughter.
Symone our service user lead, with her impeccable planning skills, got us there and back without out any delays on a very cold day. I got home knackered, educated, informed, content, smiling and sober! Billie Hands, service user, Turning Point
Moving picture
‘ It was really special to know that people thought a lot of my story.’
Kelly GeorGe
KELLY’ S STORY, the winning entry of last year’ s Recovery Street Film Festival, opened the afternoon session of DDN’ s conference. Standing on the platform to introduce her moving and powerful story of addiction, homelessness and losing her children, Kelly thanked those who had helped her to get her recovery on track and looked forward to continuing to build her future. Delegates showed their appreciation of her inspirational bravery.
If you would like to share your story through film, visit www. recoverystreetfilmfestival. co. uk for entry details and a useful guide to get you started.
DDN WOULD LIKE TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED‘ GET CONNECTED’
Our sponsors Martindale Pharma, PHE, Nal Von Minden, and the I’ m Worth … campaign, all of our speakers, organisations who exhibited and supported delegates’ attendance, Changes UK Recovery Academy, Paolo Sedazzari for filming the event, Lee Collingham, and all the volunteers from The Coventry Recovery Community and CGL – Simon Morgan, Chris Jennings, Adam Finnegan, George McCranor, Bess Curtis, Lauren Stewart, Jon Sellars, Steve Burford, Chris Thompson, John Seymour, Paddy Noonan, Marcus Hails, Ryan Small, Gary Nuznyi, Louise Morely, Mark Parrott, Dave Ayriss, Julia Maitland, Kath Podmore, Debbie Reed, Una Chedwiggen, Sian Hailes, Russell Johnson.
Lastly and not least, to all our delegates who made it such a vibrant and amazing day!
18 | drinkanddrugsnews | March 2018 www. drinkanddrugsnews. com