LETTERS AND COMMENT
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‘It’s not something
that necessarily
gets any easier...
I remember asking
a colleague how
they coped with
it early on in my
career and being
light-heartedly
assured that I’d
soon “toughen up”.’
SERIOUS STRESS
I was pleased to read Victoria
Hancock’s article about secondary
traumatic stress (DDN, May, page
14), especially her call for this to
be taken more seriously by senior
management. I must confess
that although it’s an issue that’s
concerned me for a long time, I
wasn’t even aware that it had an
official name.
I’ve worked in this sector – and
associated fields like homelessness
and mental health – for close to
two decades, and some of the
stories I’ve heard from clients have
been truly horrific. Hearing about
this kind of trauma and abuse,
and witnessing its often still-raw
effects on clients, is something
that can be extremely difficult to
switch off from or forget – and I’m
not sure what it would say about
me if I was easily able to do that.
In my experience it’s not
something that necessarily gets
any easier, either. I remember
asking a colleague how they coped
with it early on in my career and
being light-heartedly assured
that I’d soon ‘toughen up’ – the
implication being that if I didn’t
then I’d probably be better off in
some other line of work. Obviously
things have moved on since then,
but this is still an under-discussed
issue and it’s good to see it getting
some attention.
Name and address supplied
BEST BUDDIES
I read with interest the article
about Lancashire’s Recovery
communities working together
during COVID-19 (DDN, May,
page 8) and thought you may be
interested in our ‘sobriety buddy’
initiative.
For members of any detox
community meetings are a
cornerstone of recovery, but this
is just not an option for anyone
leaving a detox facility right now.
So at our Birchwood residential
detox centre community in
Birkenhead we’ve created a new
initiative – each member can
have their own personal ‘sobriety
buddy’ (see news, page 5). The
idea is to provide support for
people while they undertake
a detox programme, so that
support can continue when they
return home too.
We realised extra support is
needed under current conditions,
and so we set about finding
volunteers to help service users
in this difficult time and be
that person on the other end of
the telephone with some good
sobriety time under their belt.
Research shows that coping
with stress and isolation can
make a relapse more likely,
especially in the early stages
of sobriety. When our coping
skills are tried, we often revert
back to behaviours that are not
necessarily serving us.
We offer people this service
before they arrive for their detox.
During their first telephone
consultation with our office we
ask if they would like a sobriety
buddy to support them. Their
buddy will then text first to
introduce themselves, and they
can move onto talking daily if
that support is wanted. There
is no better way to learn than
from someone who has been
there and is happy to share
their experience; we are able
to guide people on how to deal
with difficult life events without
resorting to past behaviours and
it’s been getting great results.
It’s already been such a
success we are going to continue
running this after lockdown as
the support people have received
has made all the difference.
Jo Moore, manager at Birchwood
(a Kaleidoscope Project facility),
Birkenhead
IN SOLIDARITY
When I was at school I always
thought that I’d make something
of my life, do something exciting
and follow my dream of helping
others. However, it turned out I’d
end up on a different path.
I joined the ambulance service
the day after my 18th birthday
and worked for them for over ten
years as a paramedic. Six years
ago I developed a brain problem
and ended up needing multiple
surgeries over the following two
years and during this time I was
prescribed Oramorph. It turned
out that I’d become addicted to
it and I never thought I’d end
up becoming one of the people I
previously cared for. I then began
injecting the Oramorph when
taking it orally wasn’t working
quickly enough. When my
prescription was abruptly cut off I
went into withdrawals and ended
up swapping to injecting heroin
and crack cocaine.
After getting myself clean I
decided to start a blog to help
those who are in my previous
shoes and the family and friends
of those with an addiction. The
blog can be found here at: www.
drink-n-drugs.com or on Facebook
and Twitter ‘Drink ‘n’ Drugs’. I
hope it helps others as writing it
helps me!
Dave Richens, by email
IN MEMORY OF
KEVIN KNOTT
It is with great sadness that
Bradford Drug Services report
the passing of our colleague
Kevin Knott after a short
illness. Kevin was a drug
worker in the Bradford and
Airedale district. Kevin was a
big supporter of service user
influence and involvement and
he frequently attended the
DDN service user conferences.
Kevin was a great guy who
was very popular and loved
by all – such an inspirational,
funny, caring and genuine
individual, fantastic at his job
and able to instil confidence
in anyone he met. He was a
proper character who loved a
laugh and was a true legend.
It was such a pleasure to have
known him over the years
and his legacy and treasured
memories will last forever.
Gerard Smyth and all his
colleagues in Bradford
DDN welcomes your letters
Please email the editor,
[email protected], or post
them to DDN, CJ Wellings Ltd,
Romney House, School Road,
Ashford, Kent TN27 0LT. Letters
may be edited for space or clarity.
/ddnmagazine
@ddnmagazine
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
10 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • JUNE 2020
WWW.DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS.COM