LETTERS AND COMMENT
STAYING STRONG Fallen Angels Dance Theatre’ s Holding Light celebrates the power of human resilience. Eight community dancers from Liverpool, Chester and Wirral, all in recovery, premiered this trio of short dance pieces at Royal Ballet and Opera and are at Liverpool Everyman on 17 October 2026 fallenangelsdt. org
‘ Through this negative experience came a gift – a gift of desperation. I was finally desperate enough to want to change for the better.’
GET CONNECTED
I’ m currently serving an extended determinate sentence( EDS) of seven years, six months. I believe sharing our experiences makes us feel less lonely. The first time I went to an AA meeting here at Styal and heard a woman share, I thought to myself,‘ I’ m not the only person who does that sort of stuff’. I got instant identification for the first time in a long time. That was the beginning of my recovery.
I’ ve been taking alcohol and drugs for 19 years and got to the point of zero control – my willpower was non-existent. I was in and out of prison since 2011 and in 2023 the judge told me I’ d narrowly missed a life sentence. Not only was my
addiction progressive, so was my behaviour. But through this negative experience came a gift – a gift of desperation. I was finally desperate enough to want to change for the better. Since 2025 I’ ve been consistently going to AA and am doing my 12 steps for the second time. I live the principles of the 12-step programme and the greatest privilege is chairing the AA meeting for the women on induction. I’ m also getting ready to start sponsoring women.
I’ ve got one big shout out – he’ s big and large and he’ s in charge … God. My life is no longer in my hands – I put trust in the Lord and he guides me day by day. Step nine of the AA programme is to make direct amends to those you have harmed, except where to do so would injure them or others. I applied for restorative justice and God’ s grace was shown to me – the victim of the crime I committed has forgiven me and wishes me all the best in my recovery. I can look in the mirror these days and know God has got me.
I hope the readers of DDN get something from reading this. If we stay connected we can help each other. Amy, HMP Styal
CULTURE CHANGE
Liam’ s story really struck a chord with me( DDN, July / Aug, p30). I had the same experience of the pharmacist many times – waiting around for ages, then feeling singled out, people in the queue staring and glaring. Things have got better though and I’ m pleased to say I was a part of that. I joined the patients’ group at my local pharmacy and things are very different now. If you don’ t like the way they do things, show them another way! The practice manager now asks me for advice. Neil Haynes, by email
MAKE IT REAL
I was interested to read Mark Dronfield’ s article about the opportunities presented by the new neighbourhood health model( DDN, July / Aug, p28). Bringing NHS, local authority, recovery, housing and voluntary sector services closer together clearly makes sense. People’ s lives do not fit neatly into separate services, and those seeking support should not have to navigate a complicated system or repeatedly explain their circumstances to different organisations. The article also mentions the need for greater co-design, and this will be essential if neighbourhood health services are going to work for the people they are intended to support.
People with lived and living experience need to be involved from the very beginning, when priorities are being discussed and services are being planned. Too often people who use services are asked for their views only after the main decisions have already been made. And at that stage, it can feel more like approving an existing plan than a genuine invitation to influence it.
This involvement also needs to reach beyond the people who are already confident about attending meetings and speaking on behalf of others. So services need to make a deliberate effort to hear from people who are less visible or confident about engaging, including those who are homeless, still using drugs or struggling with their mental health – the people most affected.
I’ m optimistic that the neighbourhood model offers a real opportunity for more accessible and joinedup support. BUT … if lived experience is going to help shape it, people need to be in the room at the start, not invited in once everyone else has decided what the new system will look like. Simon Bassett, by email
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/ ddnmagazine @ ddnmagazine www. drinkanddrugsnews. com
30 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • SEPTEMBER 2026 WWW. DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS. COM