Addiction and Recovery

Chris is an addict in remission of the incurable chronic mental health disease known as "addiction". On the 08th November 1982, he took his last drug, and day by day, one day at a time, 14956 days later he was invited to share his experience, strength and hope at the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Paarl. He has accepted his condition of addiction and by doing so has learnt to love himself as well. The journey continues.

Chris West-Russell was interviewed on eNCA - Addiction Awareness Week -“The fight against drug abuse” 

Chris West-Russell was interviewed on eNCA regarding Mental Health Week in regard to chronic mental health disease Addiction.

East Coast Radio presenter Jane Linley-Thomas.

In an exclusive interview with Jane, a mother from the Upper Highway area has candidly spoken up about how her son got addicted to heroin unknowingly, and how he went from being someone she loved to someone completely different.

He was a 15-year-old boy from an ordinary home in the Upper

Highway area. He was home-schooled, obsessed with animals, and mountain bike riding. Now he's sitting in a rehab facility after being addicted to heroin - an addiction he was unaware of.

This is the first episode of six "Understanding Addiction". Chris is a recovering addict who is in remission of the disease of addiction and is now an addiction counsellor. He has been in remission for multiple years and through his own experience during active addiction and recovery,  he has recorded his perception and understanding of the disease of addiction that was never explained to him. Chris hopes that giving his own story, will give this important information to those caught in addiction, the families of addicts, and those who are yet to active their addiction disease.

An insight into the life of recovering addicts. What is an addictive personality? What is addiction? “The sleeping tiger within us”. Do we all have some sort of addictive personality? Amy, a recovering addict, shares her story of being in recovery with her husband who is still an active addict.

What is “the hole in your soul”? What is the insanity of active addiction? Is the disease of addiction just drugs and alcohol? What is a High Power, can it be anything?

“Addiction Behaviour” or life and living in the grip of the Tiger. How addicts' behaviour changes to feed their addiction. Why addicts cannot just have or do one. “One is too many and a thousand is never enough”. Where to start the road to recovery, and how to begin. Two stories of experience, strength, and hope.

Rock Bottom is a concept that means something different to each and every addict. Generally, rock bottom refers to a time or an event in life that causes an addict to reach the lowest possible point in the disease. It is a time when the person feels like things cannot get worse for them. Their life has been damaged so badly that it seems like there is nothing good left to destroy. This is my personal story of my rock bottom.

“Hunger for Healing”. When reaching Rock Bottom and you have had enough, where to from here? In this episode, Chris talks about the decision that needs to be made. The choices are: to end up in jail, an institution, death, or life. If you chose a life free from active addiction, Chris will show the road map to start your recovery from Addiction. “If you want what we have, and are prepared to make the effort to get it, then you are well on your way to get it”. Taken from the preamble of Addicts Anonymous fellowship. Just listen for the similarities and not the differences.

Before starting step 1 of the 12-step program, Chris explains the who, the what and the how if this program, from where it originated thought to how it works. Chris also talks about his fears, doubts and thoughts at the start of his journey of recovery when first shown what these 12 steps are and how they will help him get back on his feet free from active addiction.  This series is an introduction to the 12-step program, due diluents’, before making a personal decision to take these steps and make the effort to put your disease of addiction into remission.  From episode 2 onward, Chris will work through each of the steps weeks by week, explaining what each step means, how it works, his personal experiences and his continuing journey with the steps. All Chris asks is for you to give yourself a break and just sit back and listen. To leave all the judgements, scepticisms and fears outside and just be open-minded. Look for the similarities not the defences.  Chris is not a professional, he is a recovering addict with 37 years of recovery and is sharing his journey from addiction to recovery. He believes if he can do it, you can , all you have to do is be prepared to give it a try.

"Step One" of the 12 Steps of recovery from addiction,

"We admit we are powerless over our addiction and our lives had become unmanageable.

Step Two of the 12 Steps of recovery from the disease of addiction. "We came to believe in a Power greater than ourselves that could restore us to sanity."

Step Three -  "We hand our will and our lives over to the care of God of our understanding."

The last of the giving up steps, we are giving up our control, our will, and our lives over to God who we have come to believe in.

That is my journey, experience, and understanding of my Higher power Jesus Christ, and that by handing my will and my life to Him was a life-changing moment in my life, not just from my disease but to the life I have now.

If I can do it, you can. You have so much more to gain epically when I had nothing to lose.

In this episode my guest is Nadine. Nadine had been caught in the grip of addiction, the journey to feed her addiction was food. Her story is about her addiction and how it destroyed her life until she hit rock bottom today her life is free and now living a life guided by her Higher Power of her understanding.

Please look at the similarities, not the differences, partially the addiction behaviour

"Step Four" - The 12 Step program of recovery from Addiction - Episode 5

Step 5 - 'We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."

The Fifth Step is the key to freedom.

"The initial examination of ourselves usually reveals some behaviour patterns that we don't particularly like. However, facing these patterns and bringing them out in the open makes it possible for us to deal with them constructively. We cannot make these changes alone. We will need the help of God, as we understand Him and the addiction recovery 12-step fellowship of our choice."    (Big Book - Step Five.)

This series is called Why the 12-step program?

Daniel gives his life story in seven parts and explains how the 12-step program helped him in his journey into recovery from the start of his remission thought to today. He talks about his childhood, teenage years, to adulthood in his life story. He elaborates on his personal experiences as a child and how circumstance, experience and trauma had determined a road map for the next part of his life. Today Daniel is on a new recovery road map, but as you will hear he has faced all the things that have warped his understanding of what he thought love was, acceptance, and abandonment, through to today where he speaks freely about those experiences and realises who he was intended to be. He has realised his shame, guilt and anger through forgiveness and being forgiven, he has restored his truth and no longer lives the lie that controlled him. He has started to love himself for the person he has become and understands the triggers that might and could cause him to relapse.

Danial has given all the glory to his Higher Power, that being Jesus Christ, and the new way of life he has discovered in the 12-step program of recovery in Narcotics Anonymous and now lives a life free from the day-to-day grip of active addiction that was slowly killing him mentally, physically and spiritually leading to his inevitable death had he not made the decision to stop.

This series is called Why the 12-step program?

Daniel gives his life story in seven parts and explains how the 12-step program helped him in his journey into recovery from the start of his remission thought to today. He talks about his childhood, teenage years, to adulthood in his life story. He elaborates on his personal experiences as a child and how circumstance, experience and trauma had determined a road map for the next part of his life. Today Daniel is on a new recovery road map, but as you will hear he has faced all the things that have warped his understanding of what he thought love was, acceptance, and abandonment, through to today where he speaks freely about those experiences and realises who he was intended to be. He has realised his shame, guilt and anger through forgiveness and being forgiven, he has restored his truth and no longer lives the lie that controlled him. He has started to love himself for the person he has become and understands the triggers that might and could cause him to relapse.

Danial has given all the glory to his Higher Power, that being Jesus Christ, and the new way of life he has discovered in the 12-step program of recovery in Narcotics Anonymous and now lives a life free from the day-to-day grip of active addiction that was slowly killing him mentally, physically and spiritually leading to his inevitable death had he not made the decision to stop.

This series is called Why the 12-step program?

Daniel gives his life story in seven parts and explains how the 12-step program helped him in his journey into recovery from the start of his remission thought to today. He talks about his childhood, teenage years, to adulthood in his life story. He elaborates on his personal experiences as a child and how circumstance, experience and trauma had determined a road map for the next part of his life. Today Daniel is on a new recovery road map, but as you will hear he has faced all the things that have warped his understanding of what he thought love was, acceptance, and abandonment, through to today where he speaks freely about those experiences and realises who he was intended to be. He has realised his shame, guilt and anger through forgiveness and being forgiven, he has restored his truth and no longer lives the lie that controlled him. He has started to love himself for the person he has become and understands the triggers that might and could cause him to relapse.

Danial has given all the glory to his Higher Power, that being Jesus Christ, and the new way of life he has discovered in the 12-step program of recovery in Narcotics Anonymous and now lives a life free from the day-to-day grip of active addiction that was slowly killing him mentally, physically and spiritually leading to his inevitable death had he not made the decision to stop.

This series is called Why the 12-step program?

Daniel gives his life story in seven parts and explains how the 12-step program helped him in his journey into recovery from the start of his remission thought to today. He talks about his childhood, teenage years, to adulthood in his life story. He elaborates on his personal experiences as a child and how circumstance, experience and trauma had determined a road map for the next part of his life. Today Daniel is on a new recovery road map, but as you will hear he has faced all the things that have warped his understanding of what he thought love was, acceptance, and abandonment, through to today where he speaks freely about those experiences and realises who he was intended to be. He has realised his shame, guilt and anger through forgiveness and being forgiven, he has restored his truth and no longer lives the lie that controlled him. He has started to love himself for the person he has become and understands the triggers that might and could cause him to relapse.

Danial has given all the glory to his Higher Power, that being Jesus Christ, and the new way of life he has discovered in the 12-step program of recovery in Narcotics Anonymous and now lives a life free from the day-to-day grip of active addiction that was slowly killing him mentally, physically and spiritually leading to his inevitable death had he not made the decision to stop.

This series is called Why the 12-step program?

Daniel gives his life story in seven parts and explains how the 12-step program helped him in his journey into recovery from the start of his remission thought to today. He talks about his childhood, teenage years, to adulthood in his life story. He elaborates on his personal experiences as a child and how circumstance, experience and trauma had determined a road map for the next part of his life. Today Daniel is on a new recovery road map, but as you will hear he has faced all the things that have warped his understanding of what he thought love was, acceptance, and abandonment, through to today where he speaks freely about those experiences and realises who he was intended to be. He has realised his shame, guilt and anger through forgiveness and being forgiven, he has restored his truth and no longer lives the lie that controlled him. He has started to love himself for the person he has become and understands the triggers that might and could cause him to relapse.

Danial has given all the glory to his Higher Power, that being Jesus Christ, and the new way of life he has discovered in the 12-step program of recovery in Narcotics Anonymous and now lives a life free from the day-to-day grip of active addiction that was slowly killing him mentally, physically and spiritually leading to his inevitable death had he not made the decision to stop.

This series is called Why the 12-step program?

Daniel gives his life story in seven parts and explains how the 12-step program helped him in his journey into recovery from the start of his remission thought to today. He talks about his childhood, teenage years, to adulthood in his life story. He elaborates on his personal experiences as a child and how circumstance, experience and trauma had determined a road map for the next part of his life. Today Daniel is on a new recovery road map, but as you will hear he has faced all the things that have warped his understanding of what he thought love was, acceptance, and abandonment, through to today where he speaks freely about those experiences and realises who he was intended to be. He has realised his shame, guilt and anger through forgiveness and being forgiven, he has restored his truth and no longer lives the lie that controlled him. He has started to love himself for the person he has become and understands the triggers that might and could cause him to relapse.

Danial has given all the glory to his Higher Power, that being Jesus Christ, and the new way of life he has discovered in the 12-step program of recovery in Narcotics Anonymous and now lives a life free from the day-to-day grip of active addiction that was slowly killing him mentally, physically and spiritually leading to his inevitable death had he not made the decision to stop.

Daniel gives his life story in seven parts and explains how the 12-step program helped him in his journey into recovery from the start of his remission thought to today. He talks about his childhood, teenage years, to adulthood in his life story. He elaborates on his personal experiences as a child and how circumstance, experience and trauma had determined a road map for the next part of his life. Today Daniel is on a new recovery road map, but as you will hear he has faced all the things that have warped his understanding of what he thought love was, acceptance, and abandonment,  through to today where he speaks freely about those experiences and realises who he was intended to be. He has realised his shame, guilt and anger through forgiveness and being forgiven, he has restored his truth and no longer lives the lie that controlled him. He has started to love himself for the person he has become and understands the triggers that might and could cause him to relapse.

Danial has given all the glory to his Higher Power, that being Jesus Christ, and the new way of life he has discovered in the 12-step program of recovery in Narcotics Anonymous and now lives a life free from the day-to-day grip of active addiction that was slowly killing him mentally, physically and spiritually leading to his inevitable death had he not made the decision to stop.