Recovery times issue 2 a4 rd

Issue 2: September 2014

Recovery Times Carmarthenshire

In this issue!

> Our trip to the Eisteddfod > What happens in mindfulness > Getting Physical! > D’s Courner > What does your drug worker do!?

Well we made it to the 2nd issue of the Recovery Times!

This issue we were lucky enough to have so many things to put in that we didn’t have enough room! So these 4 pages are cramed!

Remember to send us stuff to the contact details below and mark everything for the attention of the editor, we don’t mind if its delivered by hand, post, text or email, by sending something to us you are consenting to us using it in the recovery times, please let us know if you’re happy for your name to feature too.

You can send us anyting, stories, works of art, questions or ideas for articles Contact Turning Point Cymru E: Catalyst@turning-point.co.uk T: 01554 744 377 M: 07760 628 269

1-3 Vaughan Street Llanelli SA15 8TY

21-23 High Street Ammanford SA18 2NA

A day in the life of Bee a CDAT drug worker I’ve been working as a Treatment Worker with CDAT for 10 years. My typical working day looks a bit like this.

8am: Collected Mary to go to the local hospital path lab for

blood tests to get her checked for Blood Borne Viruses.

We’re in and out in no time and it pays to go early!

9am: A 1.1 Structured Relapse Prevention session with John. Its session 3 and the work that

we have done together has helped him to identify what triggers his heroin use so he can now put things in place to deal with those triggers. It can be something as insignificant as a piece of music or even a smell! ( very powerful)

10am: A GP review at a local surgery with Anne. Anne is making good progress and over the past 6 months she has started to volunteer. She has also started a computer course and is now ready to start reducing her medication….another 2mg today. Well done Anne!!

12 am: A home vist on one of my clients to see how they are dong.

2pm: Its back to the office for a new client and a new assessment. during the assessment one of his injecting sites has a significant abscess. It’s hot and looks infected. I offer to take him to the local hospital and a four hour wait later Fred has antibiotics and we have built up a very good therapeutic relationship! Another appointment is arranged for later in the week.

The people that use our service have a wide range of issues but with the right support and intervention I truly believe that each one has the potential to overcome their obstacles.

5 Ways to Wellbeing: Why not get physical?

Support your recovery by following the 5 ways to wellbeing Be Active Regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety. It doesn’t need to be particularly intense for you to feel good - slower-paced activities, such as walking, can have the benefit too! > Take the stairs not the lift > Go for a walk > Get off the bus one stop earlier than usual and walk the final part of your journey > Have a kick-about in a local park > Do some ‘easy exercise’, like stretching, before you leave the house

Mindfulness Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention is an 8 week group which Turning Point run, it brings together mindfulness practices and structured relapse prevention work.

People who attend the group learn how to live in the present moment rather than focussing on the past or the future.

Our first group started in Llanelli in May and was very successful. Mindfulness was a new concept to a lot of the people attending the group but all went in to it with an open mind and found it beneficial to their recovery.

A highlight for me was seeing people grow in confidence from being in a group setting; everyone came together and learnt a lot from one and other. We also ended the final session with cake...how could that not be a highlight?!

Wordsearch Time!

Which of the words below isn’t in the car wordsearch?

Send your answers to Turning Point for your chance to win a box of chocolates! active present cake prevention caterpillar recovery eisteddfod relapse intervention support journey surprise mindfulness times physical turning point

Ds’

The Selfish Caterpillar I once lived this way as a very selfish person. I like the caterpillar had all the leaves to myself and spared a thought for no-one else, only thought about myself I sat all alone and binged on all the leaves that were there for me. I didn't care as long as I was OK, my needs fulfilled I soon learnt it was a scary and lonely existence so I went out and sought the help I needed not to use anymore, not to be all alone anymore and stopped doing what I had been doing to myself. It was a way of self-harming.

I have come a long way.

The first time someone said ABSTINENCE to me i couldn’t even say it. now i’ve been drug free for six months and I’m ok. Its not easy but I’m doing ok. Before, the streets at night meant drugs and stuff. Not good stuff. the support I get from Turning Point is helping me see things differently.

Suddenly its all about choices, choices, choices. Now the streets aren’t just about drugs. Now its about “hold on I can’t believe I’m doing this” It’s like i’ve got a chance again.

.D

This year Turning Point, Choices, Social Care substance Misuse Team and Prism went to the Eisteddfod!

We had a stall where people came to try on drunk and drug goggles to see what it felt like and learnt about what services we provided.

Over the course of the week 975 people came into our stand and talked to us!