Your stories: Medication Assisted Recovery

On the 3rd August this year The Art of Life Itself presented a round-table discussion on Medication Assisted Recovery (MAR). The day was an overwhelming success – we could have filled the room three times over with those on the waiting list alone, a testament to the import and significance attributed to this subject.

Peter McDermott (policy lead at The Alliance and co-chair of the discussion ) and I are currently finalising a report on the event the for publication. It’s challenging to do this with what little free-time we have – although we hope once the group is up and running others will kindly share in the responsibilities for running, developing and promoting the group.

A number of individuals have stepped forward and expressed an interest in doing so and all individuals who attended the discussion agreed there was a clear need for some kind of MAR advocacy group. A planning forum has been established to discuss implementation (you will need to register to access and view the forum). We hope to publish the report before the end of they year.

In the meantime… please find copied below an edited version of an email sent to all those who attended the round-table discussion and all who expressed an interest in the event. The message is self-explanatory; a request for personal stories of those in MAR. If you would like to contribute your story to this project, please get in touch as suggested.

Dear colleagues and friends,

This urgent message is being sent to all those who attended the Round-Table Discussion on Medication Assisted Recovery (MAR) on 3rd August this year and all those who expressed an interest but could not be accommodated on that day. I hope you’re all well. Please take the time to read this message in full – it really is *that* important.

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make an impact  [...] an invaluable opportunity to make the voices of those in MAR heard and directly influence the formation of policy.

The NTA have convened an expert group to look at treatment in the light of the recovery agenda. That group will be making recommendations to the field. One of the big problems Medication Assisted Recovery has is that abstinence based recovery has a really simple, easy story to tell. People stop using. Their lives get better. They’re happy to share that story.

With MAR, in contrast, the stigma is so great that even people who have great lives are unwilling to share their experience, because of the potential damage that can arise from talking about such a stigmatised treatment. Quite simply, they have too much to lose. When the field itself is unclear about the distinction between treatment and recovery how can we expect the general public to form a coherent and informed view on the subject?

It is absolutely vital that we construct a nuanced and inclusive account of the relationship between treatment and recovery and do justice to the panoramic potential of the recovery concept. It is vital that we get it right. Lives are at stake – this is not hyperbole. This is not an exaggeration. The dramatic gains we have made in the development of our treatment system are at risk.

As those who attended the discussion will recall, one of the outcomes of the day was for people in MAR to tell their own recovery stories; powerful stories of hope and inspiration that demonstrate the reality of long-term MAR success.  If you have a positive story of medication assisted recovery that you want to share, there’s never been a more important time to share it. We need to make these stories visible – particularly to the expert group who will be reporting to the field and to government.

We’re looking for pieces of between 500 and 1000 words. If you’ve got anxieties about your grammar or your spelling — don’t sweat it, we’ll edit it and send you the final thing for approval. If you’ve got a picture to go with it, that’d be great as well: putting names and faces together really helps add to the power and authenticity of the story.

We need you to act fast though.

We’re in something of a rush. We need this piece yesterday. This expert group is almost ready to report, so we’re looking to get pieces in within the next two weeks. If medication has had a significant impact on *your* recovery, we need to hear your story and we need it fast.

We’ll collect the final stories together and publish them in an e-book, available from The Art of LIfe Itself website.

If you want to contribute, please get in touch. But do it soon. The closing date is 8th December, 2011. We need your final copy by then. Any later, and it’ll be too late.
Send expressions of interest to:

stephen@theartoflifeitself.org

Remember – this is a one-shot deal. We have ONE chance to influence the formation of policy at this level. Please – do all you can to make this happen.

We look forward to hearing from you… soon!

Best wishes,

Stephen Bamber

Peter McDermott

Please forward this to anyone who you think would be interested in contributing. Thank you – sincerely.

Stephen, 16th November 2011