1. Mutual Aid, what it is and how it works
Cambourne, Cambridge, 20th July, 2010
Recovery & Reintegration Conference

2. Recovery & Reintegration Conference. 20.07.2010
Overview
Where are we now?
What do we want?
How do we get it?
What’s our part in that?
What is Mutual Aid, and how does it work
Recovery & Reintegration Conference

3. Recovery & Reintegration Conference. 20.07.2010
“My bottom line is, are the services we commission & provide good enough for me? Would we use them? Are they good enough for my kids? If they’re not, they’re not good enough for anybody.”
Mark Gilman (NTA, North West)
Recovery & Reintegration Conference

4. Recovery & Reintegration Conference. 20.07.2010
Where are we now?
Harm Reduction Agenda
Focus on counting - not Accounting
Clinical trials, in clinical settings - randomised controlled
Performance outcomes based on people retained in treatment + waiting times
When asked 80% want abstinence
Approximately 80% in treatment on Methadone (a procedure, not a treatment)
50%+ top up their scripts, and most are not happy where they are
Most current treatment focussed on the problem - not the solution
System seems almost deliberately obstructive to the process of change
Recovery & Reintegration Conference

5. Recovery & Reintegration Conference. 20.07.2010
Where are we now?
Most drug users - in or out of services - have never met anyone who used like they did and is now drug free
Also true of many who work in the services
Little or no understanding of peer led recovery
Suspicion about Mutual Aid and “Fellowships”
Recovery & Reintegration Conference

6. Recovery & Reintegration Conference. 20.07.2010
“We cannot change the nature of the addict or addiction.
We can help to change the old lie “Once an addict, always an addict”, by striving to make recovery more available”
NA Basic Text, Sixth Ed. 2008
Recovery & Reintegration Conference

7. Recovery & Reintegration Conference. 20.07.2010
What do we want?
Recovery & Reintegration
Acceptance of new ways to measure success
Get people off the drugs that are causing them problems, out of treatment, and back into society
People can find acceptable Recovery models in their own communities
Recovery Oriented Integrated Systems
Recovery & Reintegration Conference

8. Recovery & Reintegration Conference. 20.07.2010
How do we get it?
Set our sights higher
Re assess what we mean by a successful outcome
Look for different ways to measure this
ASK THE EXPERTS!
In many ways, Recovery begins when treatment ends
A process, not an event - a bridge to normal living
More indigenous residential rehabs
Huge improvement in outcomes, especially when connected to Mutual aid groups
Create, develop and support local communities of recovering people
Community based Mutual Aid Recovery
Recovery & Reintegration Conference

9. Recovery & Reintegration Conference. 20.07.2010
What’s our part in that?
Attend a local (open) Mutual Aid meetings and satisfy yourself that this works
Invite them to your services to speak to staff and clients
Host their meetings on your premises
Find creative ways to “front load” Community based Peer Support into treatment
3,000+ Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings
800+ Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings
250+Cocaine Anonymous (CA) meetings
60+ Self Management and Recovery Training (SMART) meetings
Intuitive Recovery
Recovery & Reintegration Conference

10. Recovery & Reintegration Conference. 20.07.2010
What is Mutual Aid?
Self referred Peer led support for those who want it
People who are there, being helped by people who’ve been there
Community based, with local meetings for local people
Focus on individuals experience
Free at point of use
Non restrictive, in terms of age, race, belief system, class etc.
Supports people with drug problems into, throughout, and beyond treatment
A place for people who feel they have nowhere else to goß
Recovery & Reintegration Conference

11. Recovery & Reintegration Conference. 20.07.2010
How does it work?
Through power of identification
Experience based model
Learn from those who came before
Simple self disclosure to a group or chosen individual
Some, though not all require an acceptance of a Higher Power
Recovery & Reintegration Conference

12. Recovery & Reintegration Conference. 20.07.2010
Contact details
Narcotics Anonymous: Helpline:
Alcoholics Anonymous: Helpline:
SMART Recovery: Tel:
Intuitive Recovery: Tel:
Simon Jenkins
Tel:
Recovery & Reintegration Conference