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 himse...

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 m...

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...

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 perso...

“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...

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 introd...

"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, no...

"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 ch...

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 deter...

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 deter...

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 deter...

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 deter...

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 deter...

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 deter...

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....

Promoting a new series of podcasts on the subject of addiction presented by Chris West-Russell, an addict in remission of the disease of addiction for 37 years.