Staff featured in this video (in order of appearance):
- Daisy King, Counsellor
- Sarah Hodgson, Recovery Assistant
Daisy King
Something that I feel really passionate about is the journey of women in recovery. It’s quite a different experience women have in recovery, and there’s a lot of things they have to contend with that men don’t.
My favourite group, aside from the eating disorder groups, are the women’s groups, because seeing the women come together, support each other, understand each other on an interpersonal level and connect, it’s beautiful.
It’s a scary world out there sometimes for women, and especially when people are using drugs and alcohol, it can make them really vulnerable to unsavoury people or outside influences. You see a lot of women come in who’ve been traumatised in different ways, and it’s a really common experience of women. I think it’s really important that we can kind of get to the root of that and understand them and allow them to share what’s happened. I’ve seen people come in who’ve been through a lot of trauma as women, who have had to integrate with parts of themselves in the past and come to terms with who they are now. It’s through building self-esteem, finding a voice as well, being assertive, setting boundaries with other people.
Sarah Hodgson
I had a lot of fear and I think most of that was built around the shame and the guilt of my actions in my active addiction. However, with the learnings that come with the start of your recovery you begin to unravel that process and understand that this is not a blame game for yourself.
It’s just taking you back to your core self, taking you back to your inner child, understanding and becoming comfortable with the fact that you know you’ve probably been through some extreme traumas and that takes time. It takes time to unlearn those behaviours, it takes time to recognise that you’ve been wounded and this is why it’s called recovery. We’re recovering from those wounds that we need to heal and the fear will eventually subside bit by bit, as long as you put the work in. You have to be dedicated to put the work in and you will find all around you your fellows that can support you in that journey. The fear does subside and you can find serenity and inner peace you really, really can.
If you would like to find out more about our experience of women in recovery and how Start 2 Stop can help then please get in touch here.