Recovery Stories is committed to helping individuals and families recover from addiction and mental health problems

“Creating hope, understanding and a sense of belonging”

David's Latest Blog Posts

New Recovery Voices: Tim Leighton & Gary Rutherford (April 15, 2024)
My Forthcoming UK Trip (April 11, 2024)
My Journey: From Brain Chemicals to Human Connection (March 2, 2024)
Ten Most Viewed Posts, 2023 (December 31, 2023)
Reflections on, and Quotes from, Noreen Oliver MBE (RIP) (December 30, 2023)
An Extraordinary Recovery Champion: Noreen Oliver RIP (December 20, 2023)
My Apologies (December 20, 2023)
Recovery Voices: Our First Two Weeks (October 9, 2023)
The Recovery Walk in Hull 2023: Carl’s Story (October 2, 2023)
Huseyin Djemil, Part 2 (September 26, 2023)
Recovery Voices Launched Today (September 25, 2023)
Apology and What’s Coming Next Month (August 13, 2023)
Powerlessness: Wendy Dossett (August 1, 2023)
Inspired by Natalie’s Story (July 31, 2023)
Gifts of Knowledge That Recovering People Can Bestow: Bill White (July 29, 2023)
An Exciting 24 Hours, Recovery-Wise (July 28, 2023)
My Second Recovery Voices Interview With Wulf Livingston (July 27, 2023)
My Second Interview With James Deakin of North Wales Recovery Communities (July 11, 2023)

Random Content Selection

Random Story

Sapphire’s Recovery Story: ‘It Should All Be About the Person’

Things went well when Sapphire was intimately involved in decisions about her methadone-based treatment, but poorly when professionals took sole control. (7,631 words)

Random Article

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), 12-Step Movement, and Minnesota Model

Describes the nature of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), other 12-Step programmes, and the Minnesota Model, how they developed, and the key assumptions that underlie their approach. (1,320 words)

Random Film

Why I train grandmothers to treat depression: Dixon Chibanda

Dixon Chibanda is one of 12 psychiatrists in Zimbabwe—for a population of more than 16 million. Realizing that his country would never be able to scale traditional methods of treating those with mental health issues, Chibanda helped to develop a beautiful solution powered by a limitless resource: grandmothers. In this extraordinary, inspirational talk, learn more […]

Random Resource

Trauma and Healing

Links to 12 blog posts from The Carrolup Story website that I developed with John Stanton. These blog posts consider work by world-leading experts, including Gabor Maté, Vincent Felitti, Judith Herman, Bessel van Der Kolk, James Gordon and Judy Atkinson. Bruce Perry’s work is considered in another Resource.

Random Healing

The Impact of Colonisation

The impact of colonisation on Indigenous peoples has been similar in a number of countries, including Australia, Canada, America and New Zealand. In her book Trauma Trails: Recreating Songlines, Professor Judy Atkinson describes how the control of Indigenous peoples by the coloniser was facilitated by three main types of power abuse or violence—overt physical violence, covert […]