Huseyin Djemil, Part 2

September 26, 2023 by

Huseyin Djemil became the first of our Recovery Voices when he was interviewed by David Clark in March 2023. He was interviewed again by David in April 2023, covering a varied range of topics which included: recovering people needing to be visible: the Japanese art off Kintsugi, which teaches you that your broken parts are valued; an analogy of the revolving door of treatment; promoting belief in recovering people; his work as a Drug Strategy Co-ordinator for the seven London Prisons; and his reflections on the drug treatment system.  [8 films, 41 mins 32 secs]

Filed Under: Blog, Recovery Voices Tagged With: , ,

Huseyin Djemil of Towards Recovery

September 26, 2023 by

In the first of our Recovery Voices series, Huseyin Djemil talks to David Clark about Towards Recovery, a recovery community he developed in Henley-on-Thames in the UK. He also describes some of his work as a freelance consultant in the addiction field, and reflects on various themes related to recovery and treatment. Huseyin is in long-term recovery from an addiction to Class A drugs. Recovery Voices is a new initiative being developed by David and Wulf Livingston of North Wales. [15 films, 88 mins 57 secs]

Filed Under: Recovery Voices Tagged With: , ,

What’s the Magic at Towards Recovery?: Huseyin Djemil

July 5, 2023 by

Huseyin says the magic at Towards Recovery is the connection. Members of Towards Recovery have connectedness and a shared sense of purpose. They support other people’s autonomy and agency. It’s about ‘… being visible, being connected, having a relationship.’ 25 March 2023.

Biography
Huseyin Djemil developed Towards Recovery, a recovery community in Henley-on-Thames, UK, in 2012. He has worked as a freelance consultant in the addiction field since 2007. Huseyin has held roles as drug worker, service manager, drug action team coordinator, commissioner, London regional lead for prisons and a number of other advisory roles both paid and pro bono.  Huseyin is in long-term recovery from an addiction to Class A drugs.

Filed Under: Blog, Blogs for Export Tagged With: , , ,

Demoralisation in a Treatment Service: Huseyin Djemil

June 16, 2023 by

Huseyin Djemil, Founder of Towards Recovery, has done a good deal of consultancy work over the years. Here’s an example of the sort of work he has done within the treatment system.

‘Huseyin provided a one-day training course on opiates for practitioners of a well-known treatment provider. He finished his presentation slides by lunchtime. He wondered what was he going to do for the rest of the day?

He discovered that there were no opiate groups for clients, despite the fact that 51% of them were opiate users. When he started to discuss this matter with practitioners in the afternoon, he was told that the clients didn’t want anything other than methadone. Huseyin explored with the practitioners in an innovative way whether this was actually the case. He came up with some interesting findings.’

Read More ➔

Filed Under: Blog, Blogs for Export Tagged With: , , , ,

Secret Shoppers: Huseyin Djemil

June 8, 2023 by

During his commissioning days, Huseyin set up a ‘Secret Shopper’ project, as he was not convinced that what he and his colleagues were being told by a contracted service provider was actually the reality. Ex-service users were trained to play a number of different roles and told to take various actions with the service. The service provider was informed that Secret Shoppers would be visiting them. The service was provided with a copy of the final report. Huseyin describes some of the experiences of the Secret Shoppers.

Please check out more of Huseyin’s Recovery Voices films.

Read More ➔

Filed Under: Blog, Blogs for Export Tagged With: , ,

Being Heard: Huseyin Djemil

June 2, 2023 by

The people who gave Huseyin a job in the prison service knew of his past addiction, but it was something that he was actively discouraged from talking about. His past was considered a weakness. In contrast, Huseyin saw his past as a huge positive. At one stage, he worked for a rehab which helped residents put together a cover story, so that when they entered the outside world they wouldn’t have to disclose their past. He believes this approach is wrong—it buys into the stigma. Personally, he wants to be visible, and he is comfortable with that desire. 25 March 2023. [5’44”]

Please check out films from Huseyin’s first and second interviews.

Read More ➔

Filed Under: Blog, Blogs for Export Tagged With: , ,

What Towards Recovery Is About: Huseyin Djemil

May 25, 2023 by

Huseyin emphasises that Towards Recovery is about bringing people together. Members are meeting people who have experienced similar problems to their own, and have overcome them. There is a good deal of empathy in the community. People connect within the cafe, and via other activities, e.g. WhatsApp, or on Strava (which connects people through their sporting activities). David asks what he would experience if he turned up to the cafe in Henley. Huseyin also explains what happens with the online gatherings. Towards Recovery is NOT treatment. 25 March 2023. [8’55”]

Biography
Huseyin Djemil developed Towards Recovery, a recovery community in Henley-on-Thames, UK, in 2012. He has worked as a freelance consultant in the addiction field since 2007. Huseyin has held roles as drug worker, service manager, drug action team coordinator, commissioner, London regional lead for prisons and a number of other advisory roles both paid and pro bono.  Huseyin is in long-term recovery from an addiction to Class A drugs.

Filed Under: Blog, Blogs for Export Tagged With: , , ,

Until the Lion Learns To Write: Huseyin Djemil

May 11, 2023 by

Here’s a film clip from our first interviewed Recovery Voice. Huseyin Djemil of Towards Recovery believes there is the opportunity for the treatment system to innovate, just by involving people recovering from addiction. This is happening to some extent, but the treatment system often treats recovering people as their assets. ‘So they get kind of wheeled out… look how wonderful our systems, processes and outcomes are, give us more money, give us that contract.’

Huseyin mentions the proverb, ‘Until the lion learns to write, all the stories will be from the hunters’ perspective.’ The present sorts of video and the recovery-related content on Recovery Stories are the lion learning to write. 25 March 2023.

Filed Under: Blog, Blogs for Export Tagged With: , ,

Setting Up Towards Recovery: Huseyin Djemil

April 16, 2023 by

Huseyin describes how he first set up Towards Recovery in 2012, starting out by renting a church coffee shop for monthly evening gatherings. He and his colleagues wanted to make recovery visible, letting people see ‘it’ and decide whether they wanted to connect to it. They also organised a few conferences, with notable speakers from around the country, and various event nights. A key aim was to show that people in recovery are assets. They are people who have walked through deep water, come out the other side, and are now helping others who have problems in their lives. 25 March 2023.

This film clip is one of 15 taken from an interview with Huseyin in March 2023. Yesterday, I posted eight more film clips of Huseyin from a second interview conducted recently.

All film clips are on Huseyin’s Recovery Voices Playlist which appears on Our Recovery Stories YouTube channel. Why not subscribe to our YouTube channel? The Recovery Voices project is being developed with my close collaborator Wulf Livingston from North Wales.

Filed Under: Blog, Blogs for Export Tagged With: , , ,

Spider-Man & Batman: Huseyin Djemil

April 6, 2023 by

In my Recovery Voices interview with Huseyin Djemil of Towards Recovery, Huseyin talks about how Andy Partington, in his new book Hope in Addiction, emphasises the distinction in the way that Spider-Man and Batman accomplish their feats. He discusses this distinction in relation to the nature of recovery.

The real deal in recovery is being bitten by the spider and having that internal transformation (like Spider-Man) that makes you look at everything differently. Huseyin had that transformation occur when he was in a rehab. He then ended up having all of Batman’s tools and skills as well, which further facilitated his recovery. Our Recovery Stories, 25 March 2023. [2’17”]

Recovery Voices is a new initiative being run by Wulf Livingston of North Wales and myself. Andy Partington’s book is out in the UK on 18 April, but is already out in Australia and USA. Here is a short endorsement I wrote for Andy’s book:

Read More ➔

Filed Under: Blog, Blogs for Export Tagged With: , , ,

Huseyin Djemil’s Lent Blog Series

April 4, 2023 by

Huseyin Djemil of Towards Recovery has posted the 40th and last part of his Lent Blog Series, an amazing Recovery Guide. You can find links to all the posts in our Resources section. Here is the last episode of Huseyin’s series, Living a fulfilling life:

‘I’m not we are always the best example [to others] of someone living a fulfilling and meaningful life in recovery because everyone’s life is made up of a unique set experiences and responses to those experiences that shape us. In my case, I’m just trying to be “present”, to turn up as the authentic me in all aspects of my life in recovery. I don’t always manage it and sometimes when I do, the authentic me can make my life harder e.g., If I’m asked what I think about something I usually say, and sometimes (quite often) it can put the cat among the pigeons.

I also can’t help helping, and often my life in recovery feels it’s at its best when I’m helping someone solve a problem, meet a goal, or get closer to realising a dream they have. Mostly all I do is listen or act as a sounding board and occasionally I have a contact that I can connect the person to.

Read More ➔

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , ,

Our First Recovery Voice: Huseyin Djemil

March 28, 2023 by

Wulf Livingston, from North Wales, and I have developed a new initiative called Recovery Voices. We will be interviewing people in recovery from addiction, as well as their recovery friends, and creating a series of short films focused on a number of themes. These short films will eventually become part of a new Recovery Voices section of the website.

The first of our Recovery Voices interviewees is Huseyin Djemil from Henley-on-Thames in the UK. Some of you may remember that I was the first participant in Huseyin’s Journeys Podcast which is available on the Towards Recovery website.

I have edited a series of 15 short films (totally nearly 90 minutes) to from Huseyin’s Voice which can currently be found in the Resources section of the website. Huseyin talks about the recovery community he developed, Towards Recovery, describes some of his work as a freelance consultant in the addiction field, and reflects on various themes related to addiction recovery and treatment. He is in long-term recovery from an addiction to Class A drugs. 

Read More ➔

Filed Under: Blog, Blogs for Export Tagged With: , ,

Huseyin Djemil’s ‘Towards Recovery’ Blog Series

March 17, 2023 by

Yesterday, I posted a film clip of part of a conversation between Huseyin Djemil and myself which was originally recorded for the former’s Journey Podcast series. Huseyin, who lives in Henley-on-Thames in the UK, developed the inspiring recovery community Towards Recovery back in 2012. Their website is well worth a look, and if you are in the area then check out their Recovery Cafe.

At the beginning of March this year, I introduced you to Huseyin’s Blog Series. Here is how Huseyin describes the series on the Towards Recovery website:

‘As we approached Lent, Huseyin felt inspired to take action this year. He is observing the 40-day period of fasting and prayer and has given up watching TV during this period and committed to writing a short article for each day of Lent in the hope that it might inform and inspire others in their recovery journey as well. Lets dive in…’

I love this inspirational series as it contains a wealth of useful information for people on their recovery journey. Here are the titles and links to the first 22 blog posts [I have just updated this blog to complete the series—DC, 03/04/23]:

Read More ➔

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , ,

Huseyin Djemil’s ‘Towards Recovery’ Blog Series

March 16, 2023 by

As Lent approached in 2023, Huseyin Djemil, Founder of the Recovery Community Towards Recovery, was inspired to sit down each day and write a short article for a Blog Series with the aim of informing and inspiring other people on their recovery journey. Here are links to the 40 blog posts. 

Read More ➔

Filed Under: Resources Tagged With: , , ,

‘Journeys’ Podcast with David Clark and Huseyin Djemil

March 16, 2023 by

In April 2021, David Clark of the Recovery Stories website was interviewed by Huseyin Djemil of Towards Recovery as the first guest on the Towards Recovery ‘Journeys’ Podcast. The podcast was launched in June 2021 on the Towards Recovery website. David edited these twelve clips from Huseyin’s original podcast and posted them on his Our Recovery Stories YouTube channel. .

Read More ➔

Filed Under: Resources Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Recovering People and Their Stories: ‘Journeys’ Podcast with David Clark and Huseyin Djemil (Part 9)

March 16, 2023 by

Huseyin Djemil from Henley-on-Thames in the UK runs the Towards Recovery community and website. He interviewed me back in April 2021 for his new Journeys Podcast series. I later edited the film into 12 clips, totalling more than 70 minutes, for Our Recovery Stories YouTube channel. I haven’t really promoted this material to date, but will start doing so much more when we launch a new revamped version of this website in the coming months. Above is the longest of these film clips, which focuses on addiction recovery stories and their importance.

Huseyin and David discuss people recovering from addiction, their journeys, and their stories. Recovering people are an asset. They have generally come through a great deal of adversity and have much to teach other people, not just those trying to overcome addiction. We need to be getting more recovering people together, and ensuring that their Stories are disseminated widely. Huseyin also talks about Towards Recovery, a community he first established in 2012. Our Recovery Stories. 21 June 2022. [11’35”]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , ,

The Role of Community: Huseyin Djemil

March 1, 2023 by

Huseyin Djemil of Towards Recovery, a recovery community based in Henley, England, recently started a Lent Blog. Here is the Day 3 blog post which describes the role of community in facilitating recovery.

‘At Towards Recovery, we offer a simple “in” for people seeking to initiate recovery. We run a regular recovery café and provide “touch points” for people to engage with us e.g., like the recovery café, which is in-person and online, various programmes and courses, clubs (like Strava, books, films, talks), a podcast about recovery journeys and a book of reflections and daily invitations.

All of these “touch points” make recovery visible to those that might be seeking help and are unsure how to go about it, and are unclear about what help might look like. Making recovery visible allows people to see it and decide whether they want to connect to it, and with us.

Read More ➔

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , ,

What is ‘Towards Recovery’: Huseyin Djemil

February 7, 2023 by

Some of you may remember the podcast I did with Huseyin Djemil for his Journeys Podcast – making recovery from addiction visible. Huseyin developed the Towards Recovery community back in 2012.   This Recovery Community helps ‘people to connect with others and re-connect with themselves and the world around them. With support, and over time, our aim is to help people make sustainable changes and to create a life of their own choosing.’

Embarrassingly, I only recently came across the YouTube film, made in December 2015, in which Huseyin:

‘… talks about Towards Recovery – what is a Recovery Cafe and how the Cafe in Henley came to be a safe space for people in recovery. He talks about people finding help, housing, jobs and bringing them face to face with services – ultimately proving that people in recovery from addiction don’t just survive but can thrive and become real community assets.’

Read More ➔

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , ,

What is Towards Recovery?: Huseyin Djemil

February 3, 2023 by

Huseyin Djemil talks about Towards Recovery – what is a Recovery Cafe and how the Cafe in Henley came to be a safe space for people in recovery. He talks about people finding help, housing, jobs and bringing them face to face with services – ultimately proving that people in recovery from addiction don’t just survive but can thrive and become real community assets. 22 December 2015. [9’36”] You can find other films from this conference here.

Filed Under: Film Tagged With: , , ,

Recovery is Self-Healing: ‘Journeys’ Podcast with David Clark & Huseyin Djemil

February 3, 2023 by

Hüseyin and David discuss various issues relating to treatment and recovery. Huseyin emphasises that parts of the treatment system need more humanity in the way they interact with, and talk about, recovering people. Many services view recovering people as an monetised asset that can be used to help attract more funding for their organisation, rather than focus on celebrating people’s recovery. David emphasises that recovery is self-healing. Practitioners don’t fix people; they catalyse and support the natural resources of the person. Too many practitioners think they are the one to have done the work. 21 June 2022. [7’58”] You can link to 11 other parts of this podcast.

Filed Under: Film Tagged With: , , , , ,