“We are Service User like you involved in raising awareness about Newcastle’s Drug and Alcohol Services”.
Tuesday 31 March 2015
Monday 30 March 2015
Thursday 26 March 2015
Wednesday 25 March 2015
Tuesday 24 March 2015
Daily Message of Recovery
March 24
Letting go of the past
“It is not where we were that counts, but where we are going.”
Basic Text, p. 23
When we first find recovery, some of us feel shame or despair at calling ourselves “addicts.” In the early days, we may be filled with both fear and hope as we struggle to find new meaning in our lives. The past may seem inescapable and overpowering. It may be hard to think of ourselves in any way other than the way we always have.
While memories of the past can serve as reminders of what’s waiting for us if we use again, they can also keep us stuck in a nightmare of shame and fear. Though it may be difficult to let go of those memories, each day in recovery can bring us that much farther away from our active addiction. Each day, we can find more to look forward to and less to punish ourselves for.
In recovery, all doors are open to us. We have many choices. Our new life is rich and full of promise. While we cannot forget the past, we don’t have to live in it. We can move on.
Just for today: I will pack my bags and move out of my past into a present filled with hope.
Copyright © 1991-2015 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved-
Monday 23 March 2015
Sunday 22 March 2015
Saturday 21 March 2015
Friday 20 March 2015
Daily Message of Recovery
March 20, 2015
Higher Power
Page 82
"Most of us have no trouble admitting that addiction had become a destructive force in our lives. Our best efforts resulted in ever greater destruction and despair. At some point, we realized that we needed the help of some Power greater than our addiction."
Basic Text, p. 24
Most of us know without a doubt that our lives have been filled with destruction. Learning that we have a disease called addiction helps us understand the source or cause of this destruction. We can recognize addiction as a power that has worked devastation in our lives. When we take the First Step, we admit that the destructive force of addiction is bigger than we are. We are powerless over it.
At this point, our only hope is to find some Power greater than the force of our addiction-a Power bent on preserving life, not ending it. We don't have to understand it or even name it; we only have to believe that there could be such a Higher Power. The belief that a benevolent Power greater than our addiction just might exist gives us enough hope to stay clean, a day at a time.
Just for Today: I believe in the possibility of some Power that's bigger than my addiction.
Copyright (c) 2014, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Sunday 15 March 2015
Drink and Drug News
Please click the link below to be directed to the DDN Monthly E Magazine, which we believe is updated monthly via this link.
Drink & Drug News E Magazine
This months edition contains an article on the recent 8th DDN Annual Conference that the NUCF attended.
You can also keep track of things via the DDN Website.
Drink & Drug News Website
Drink & Drug News E Magazine
This months edition contains an article on the recent 8th DDN Annual Conference that the NUCF attended.
You can also keep track of things via the DDN Website.
Drink & Drug News Website
Daily Message of Recovery
THE GOD IDEA
When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 52
Like a blind man gradually being restored to sight, I slowly groped my way to the Third Step. Having realized that only a Power greater than myself could rescue me from the hopeless abyss I was in, I knew that this was a Power that I had to grasp, and that it would be my anchor in the midst of a sea of woes. Even though my faith at that time was minuscule, it was big enough to make me see that it was time for me to discard my reliance on my prideful ego and replace it with the steadying strength that could only come from a Power far greater than myself.
Friday 13 March 2015
Personal Share (anonymous)
NUCF Blog Personal Share
I am a recovering addict who was in active addiction for over 30 years since the age of 12. I experienced mental health problems from a young age after I experienced various forms of abuse during my childhood, then a lot of deaths in the family and close friends in a fairly short space of time during my youth. During this time I began abusing Alcohol and other legal substances and then began taking illegal drugs from the age of 17, starting with Cannabis and progressing on to party drugs then prescription medication and class A drugs. In the end I would take and use any drugs I could get hold of, anything to change the way I felt and to experience numbness, excitement or oblivion. Alcohol and Cannabis abuse was constant throughout my life and began to experience problems with multiple addictions when I tried to stop, by changing one addiction for another. However, I was powerless and would always end up abusing alcohol and cannabis again, and in the end i became obsessed and consumed by all of these addictions.
My poor life choices, addictions and mental health issues led to the whole of my adult life being both chaotic and unmanageable. I caused my family and friends plenty of hurt, stress, emotional and physical pain, experienced homelessness, moved around constantly and was a burden on and a risk to society; in terms of regular offending, spending time in prison, hospitals, GP surgeries and institutions. I also caused many people, services and organisations numerous problems due to my behaviour and actions. This behaviour continued until my early forties as my mental health problems were incorrectly diagnosed by the medical profession and subsequently went untreated due to their lack of understanding about addiction, its causes and how it affects people who suffer from it. I now accept that I have to take responsibility for my behaviour, actions and the consequences, as while I was powerless over my addictions at the time, the choices I made were still mine.
In the end I referred myself to a Drug and Alcohol Charity that specialised in treating people with addiction problems. My life was spiralling out of control again and I had hit another rock bottom; I obsessed about and pleaded for my life to be over, but I did not have the courage to end it myself, I was totally isolated from my family and friends and my only real human contact in the end was with my drug dealer and the staff in the Legal High Shop near where I lived. I was angry, scared, paranoid and full of self pity and self obsessed. I couldn’t control my multiple addictions and was using more and more drugs to try and block out the thoughts that were becoming more insane and the intense feelings of despair, fear and paranoia that were becoming worse. I was coming round after losing days and even weeks not knowing where I had been or what had happened. I had sold the majority of my possessions, stole, lied and manipulated family and committed fraud to feed my addictions. In the end I was physically drained and exhausted, but the drugs were having less and less affect and I knew I would soon end up dead, in jail or a mental institution if I carried on this way.
This is when I eventually did something good for myself and made a life changing decision to contact a Drug and Alcohol Recovery Charity, as I was receiving no help our successful outcomes from the NHS. Through engaging with this Charity, as well as other Recovery based organisations, the various services they provided like Peer Groups and Residential Rehab I began to become more aware of what was actually wrong with me by listening too and finding identification and similarities with other people in a similar situation to me. I began to realise and understand why I could never manage to stay free of my addictions or cope with them, why my life was always unmanageable and chaotic and most importantly the realisation I was not unique in my suffering or alone. The Charity also suggested I attend an anonymous Fellowship that helped people find freedom from active addiction and along with the help of this Fellowship and the recovery community, I finally began to recover and find some hope, faith and trust in myself and others who are like me.
It hasn’t always been easy and it’s hard at times learning to live life clean and sober after many years of active addiction. As many people in early recovery have done I relapsed and soon found my self heading for another rock bottom, but with the understanding I now had and with the help, understanding and care of the recovery community and friends I had made I came back. I remembered i was not alone and that the recovery community was waiting to welcome me back with open arms without judgement or anger. I now had a choice, the misery of active addiction or the amazing gift of recovery, and I gratefully chose recovery again. Of course it’s been hard, but by trying to live just a day at a time and doing what is suggested by people with lived experience of recovery from active addiction I have managed to sustain my abstinence for longer this time round. I work a spiritual program of recovery now and through my journey I have met and engaged with some amazing people and services, which I am so grateful for, and unlike the totally selfish addict I used to be, I’m even able to give something back to the community now by doing service and volunteering.
I am a recovering addict who was in active addiction for over 30 years since the age of 12. I experienced mental health problems from a young age after I experienced various forms of abuse during my childhood, then a lot of deaths in the family and close friends in a fairly short space of time during my youth. During this time I began abusing Alcohol and other legal substances and then began taking illegal drugs from the age of 17, starting with Cannabis and progressing on to party drugs then prescription medication and class A drugs. In the end I would take and use any drugs I could get hold of, anything to change the way I felt and to experience numbness, excitement or oblivion. Alcohol and Cannabis abuse was constant throughout my life and began to experience problems with multiple addictions when I tried to stop, by changing one addiction for another. However, I was powerless and would always end up abusing alcohol and cannabis again, and in the end i became obsessed and consumed by all of these addictions.
My poor life choices, addictions and mental health issues led to the whole of my adult life being both chaotic and unmanageable. I caused my family and friends plenty of hurt, stress, emotional and physical pain, experienced homelessness, moved around constantly and was a burden on and a risk to society; in terms of regular offending, spending time in prison, hospitals, GP surgeries and institutions. I also caused many people, services and organisations numerous problems due to my behaviour and actions. This behaviour continued until my early forties as my mental health problems were incorrectly diagnosed by the medical profession and subsequently went untreated due to their lack of understanding about addiction, its causes and how it affects people who suffer from it. I now accept that I have to take responsibility for my behaviour, actions and the consequences, as while I was powerless over my addictions at the time, the choices I made were still mine.
In the end I referred myself to a Drug and Alcohol Charity that specialised in treating people with addiction problems. My life was spiralling out of control again and I had hit another rock bottom; I obsessed about and pleaded for my life to be over, but I did not have the courage to end it myself, I was totally isolated from my family and friends and my only real human contact in the end was with my drug dealer and the staff in the Legal High Shop near where I lived. I was angry, scared, paranoid and full of self pity and self obsessed. I couldn’t control my multiple addictions and was using more and more drugs to try and block out the thoughts that were becoming more insane and the intense feelings of despair, fear and paranoia that were becoming worse. I was coming round after losing days and even weeks not knowing where I had been or what had happened. I had sold the majority of my possessions, stole, lied and manipulated family and committed fraud to feed my addictions. In the end I was physically drained and exhausted, but the drugs were having less and less affect and I knew I would soon end up dead, in jail or a mental institution if I carried on this way.
This is when I eventually did something good for myself and made a life changing decision to contact a Drug and Alcohol Recovery Charity, as I was receiving no help our successful outcomes from the NHS. Through engaging with this Charity, as well as other Recovery based organisations, the various services they provided like Peer Groups and Residential Rehab I began to become more aware of what was actually wrong with me by listening too and finding identification and similarities with other people in a similar situation to me. I began to realise and understand why I could never manage to stay free of my addictions or cope with them, why my life was always unmanageable and chaotic and most importantly the realisation I was not unique in my suffering or alone. The Charity also suggested I attend an anonymous Fellowship that helped people find freedom from active addiction and along with the help of this Fellowship and the recovery community, I finally began to recover and find some hope, faith and trust in myself and others who are like me.
It hasn’t always been easy and it’s hard at times learning to live life clean and sober after many years of active addiction. As many people in early recovery have done I relapsed and soon found my self heading for another rock bottom, but with the understanding I now had and with the help, understanding and care of the recovery community and friends I had made I came back. I remembered i was not alone and that the recovery community was waiting to welcome me back with open arms without judgement or anger. I now had a choice, the misery of active addiction or the amazing gift of recovery, and I gratefully chose recovery again. Of course it’s been hard, but by trying to live just a day at a time and doing what is suggested by people with lived experience of recovery from active addiction I have managed to sustain my abstinence for longer this time round. I work a spiritual program of recovery now and through my journey I have met and engaged with some amazing people and services, which I am so grateful for, and unlike the totally selfish addict I used to be, I’m even able to give something back to the community now by doing service and volunteering.
Thursday 12 March 2015
Wednesday 11 March 2015
NUCF Minutes 5th March 2015
Minutes of NUCF
Date: 05/03/2015
Location: Brunswick
Church
Chair:
Richard
Update
on Client Advisory Groups and Events
Trading
Places – On every Sunday now. The service is going
really well with no issues or problems to report. The volunteers are happy with
everything and working hard as ever and enjoying giving back to those in need.
Plummer
Court – Peer to peer support in the day centre,
excellent way for clients to have a visible presence of recovery. No issues
reported back by volunteers and very positive feedback from Plummer Court.
Recovery
Clinic – Generally all going well. Depending on the
days and times the numbers of clients can vary. Important for the forum to
maintain a presence there. Opportunities for people to volunteer, contact Andy.
Sarah Blakey – Active Inclusion Officer
Sarah talked about the quarterly homeless
forum which is held at Newcastle Civic and looks at the National and local
plans to improve the experience of people who are homeless or facing
homelessness. Forum members are welcome to attend and Andy will co-ordinate
some representation for the next meeting.
In trying to engage with other client groups
it was suggested to have some sort of forum at Trading Places. Sarah was happy
to be part of this. Forum members will look at how this would work and possibly
some brief questions for the regular Trading Places clients.
Discussed the benefits of having some
additional signposting at HAC for addiction services across the City. Sarah
will investigate the possibility of having forum members present in HAC.
Duncan
Miller and Clare Barrett – Commissioning Team
Duncan and Clare came back to the forum to
update on the next steps around the tender process for the new Service offering
in Newcastle.
The feedback document was circulated as well
as the Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA). Duncan talked the forum through the
IIA and the how the forum’s feedback had been added to the overall proposal
document.
The timescales for the tender were explained
i.e. 2nd March for the tender to be open to potential Service
Providers and 10th April as the closing date. Forum members were
also invited to be part of the decision making process behind the tender. Up to
10 members needed so if you would like to be involved contact Andy, this will
take place on the week starting 13th April.
The documentation is available on the
Newcastle Council web site for anyone who would like to look at the details.
Clare talked people through the bid process and the value of the bid (£1.1
million each year for 3 years).
There followed a number of question from the
forum that sparked a debate around treating the initial causes of addiction
rather than the end results. Also further feedback on the services currently
available in Newcastle.
Trinity Oakfield
College – Parents Learning Sessions
The forum has visited Trinity College and
delivered drug and alcohol awareness sessions to all of the pupils. There is
now the opportunity for the forum to deliver sessions to the parents around the
signs to look for, particularly around drug use. If people want to get involved
please contact Andy.
UKRW 2015
The UK Recovery Walk 2015 is to be hosted by
Durham. The planning sessions for the walk are being held every last Friday of
the month. There is opportunity for forum members to attend and be involved on
the planning and the activities on the day. Next meeting is Friday 27th
March.
Crisis Employment Fortnight.
Flyer and information was circulated for the
Crisis employment fortnight giving information about getting into work and the
opportunity to meet potential employers. Details on Crisis web site: Crisis
Skylight Newcastle
Turning
Point Consultation Event
On the 18th March Turning Point
are having a consultation day around the new service in Newcastle that Duncan
and Clare talked about. Forum members are invited to take part. The event is
from 11.00-2.00 on the 18th with lunch provided. Contact Andy if you
want more information or would like to attend.
AOB
Cliff is looking at a team
building event for the forum and will come back to the next forum with dates
and costs.
Next NUCF 19/03/15
12.00-2.00
Venue Brunswick Church
Chair – Cliff
Sunday 8 March 2015
Whats On & Up Comming Events - Easter Weekend Adventure Quest
Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens, Belsay, Ponteland, Northumberland, NE20 0DX
Tel: 01661 881 636
Friday 3rd April - Monday 6th April 11am - 5pm
About
Adventurers wanted this Easter weekend! Join our quest, meet characters from the past and crack the clues as you explore Belsay. Rise to the challenge and you'll reap a chocolate reward.
It's time to get hands-on with history.
It's time to get hands-on with history.
Friday 6 March 2015
Daily Message of Recovery
Take my will and my life,
Guide me in my Recovery
and show me how to live Clean and Sober
Wednesday 4 March 2015
Tuesday 3 March 2015
NUCF Change of Venue
This weeks Forum will now be held at the Brunswick Methodist Church Room 3 on Thursday 5th March from 12-2pm instead of Plummer Court.
The Brunswick is situated on Brunswick Place behind Sports Direct and Fenwick's just off Northumberland Street.
Nearest Metro is the Monument
Any questions or queries please contact Andy Hackett or leave a message on this Blog and we will get back to you.
The Brunswick is situated on Brunswick Place behind Sports Direct and Fenwick's just off Northumberland Street.
Nearest Metro is the Monument
Any questions or queries please contact Andy Hackett or leave a message on this Blog and we will get back to you.
Sunday 1 March 2015
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