I am an Unapologetic writer. A speaker of my truth. I have rewritten every struggle and covered every plight. And in the darkest of hours, my writing has helped me find my light. I am an incomplete jigsaw, piece by piece. I am just another person in her quest for internal peace. My pen […]
Never Underestimate a Woman in Recovery – Part 2
Before joining Mulka Nisc photovoice research project, I had never previously considered gender differences, probably because I’m a tomboy at heart, and I have always struggled with the concept of feminism. However, all that changed for me during the first online meeting, which took place over a Teams meeting one evening in December 2023 The meeting […]
Untethered
The chains that once held me down Can now be found broken and loose on the ground The chains have now rusted away. And all that is left now are ashes of grey My chains were not made of iron or steel. But of the expectations and judgments that society had me feel. Trust me, […]
Don’t ever Underestimate a Woman in Recovery
They saw her through a lens of shame and proclaimed “She only had herself to blame.” They couldn’t see the afflictions that lay behind the addiction, That this wasn’t a choice; she was just another woman who’d lost her voice She would smile and try to pretend that everything was ok whilst trying her best […]
Cycle of Change
In pre-contemplation’s shadowed haze, My mind was veiled, lost in a narcotic maze. I didn’t know my own mind I was oblivious and blind Some people remarked I had changed But I scoffed and thought them deranged I had no intention of changing my behaviour Because my drugs were my saviour But the shit that […]
Stop listening to yourself and try having a word with yourself instead.
There is an old saying that says, ‘Talking to yourself is a sign of madness,’ but I would disagree because I would still have been in the madness had I not given myself a good talking to long ago. Then I came across a quote I had never heard while podcasting with a guy from […]
Fxxk the Recovery Police and do what works for YOU
I’ve been secretly wanting to write this blog for years to challenge some of the views and opinions of a small minority of whom I refer to as the “Recovery Police” present in the recovery community. The Recovery message is supposed to carry hope, yet a silent battle exists within some corners of the recovery […]
From Gleadless Valley to United Nations
As a child written off by the school system, I could never have foreseen that my path would lead me from drug-induced psychosis to centre stage at the United Nations. Throughout my career, I’ve delivered countless presentations locally and nationally. But being at the UN was a whole new level. To have a voice in […]
Recovery isn’t a destination; it’s a journey.
Recovery isn’t a destination; it’s a journey. For years, people told me to fake it until I made it. Only it was getting harder to hide my fears and doubts and pretend I’d got life all figured out. Always afraid I’d soon be found out. At times, I was an emotional wreck and felt out […]
Unanswered Questions
A poem I composed written following a conversation with a woman who recently lost her sister to alcoholism. Another taken far too soon. It’s called “Unanswered Questions” I’m still unsure when it all began or where things went wrong. But I do know I feel bereft and that my heart aches from actions undone. […]
