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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

Anna’s Recovery Story: ‘Should I or Shouldn’t I?’

Through his heroin addiction and recovery, Anna’s brother has taught her so much about life, including the most valuable lesson she could ever learn—you can get through anything. (4,273 words)

Random Article

Background Briefings

For a period of four years from 15th November 2004, I wrote a series of Background Briefings for Drink and Drugs News (DDN), the leading UK magazine focused on drug and alcohol treatment. Here are links to 38 of 72 Briefings; each contains a link to an original pdf. I will slowly upload all other Briefings.

Random Film

Brené Brown on Empathy

What is the best way to ease someone’s pain and suffering? In this beautifully animated RSA Short, Dr Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities. RSA. [2’52’]

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 […]