Telford addiction recovery conference goes online
The annual Telford recovery conference has gone online this year.
There are events and contributions this month from drug and alcohol services across Shropshire, working together to celebrate recovery from addiction.
Shrewsbury will be represented by its new local charity, Share Shrewsbury.
Founder Jane Mackenzie has been invited to speak about her personal experiences as the mother of her daughter, Amy, who suffered with addiction to alcohol for several years.
Jane and her family tried to support Amy as best they could, but did not understand the nature of her disease.
They had to learn through trial and error, desperately researching Amy’s condition to find out more.
Amy tragically died in May 2019, and left her grieving family with many questions about why she did not receive the support she needed in order to survive.
Support
Jane has now set up a local charity called Share Shrewsbury, offering support to anyone with alcohol addiction.
She is particularly passionate about reaching out to the family and friends of sufferers, and she is setting up support groups in Shrewsbury so that other families are more informed, and do not have to go through what they went through.
Jane also wants to improve the way that drug and alcohol services are delivered in the county, and in particular to recognise that addiction is a serious medical illness which changes the structure of the brain.
It requires holistic treatment of both the physical and mental symptoms in order to allow sufferers to recover.
Share will also be organising an annual conference in May 2021 where the latest treatments and research into addiction will be showcased, along with real life stories from those in recovery and their families.
If anyone has had a similar experience, Jane wants to hear from them at shareshrewsbury@gmail.com
There is a drug and alcohol service operating in Shrewsbury, commissioned by Shropshire Council, but it is not taking part in this month-long conference in celebration of recovery.
Search for Telford Recovery Conference on Facebook for more information.
