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My Story – journeys of hope and recovery
If you’re having mental health or alcohol and drug problems or know someone that is, you’re not alone. We all need to take care of our mental wellbeing, whether you are a service user experiencing mental health difficulties or are supporting a friend or relative.
If you are feeling overwhelmed we hope that this book will help you to realise it is possible to recover from mental health and alcohol and drug problems with the right treatment and care. It is important for you and your family to know that no matter where you are in your recovery journey – there is always hope.
The My Story book features real life stories and experiences of our service users, their families and carers, covering all aspects of mental health and addiction. It’s a great way to find out more from people with mental health difficulties who have lived through it, found help and developed techniques to aid their recovery.
The vision was to produce a book that inspires people with mental health difficulties to get the best out of life while sharing experiences, challenging stigma and providing information that will help everyone to understand mental health and alcohol and drug problems better.
GMMH’s Recovery Academy has designed this publication to provide you with valuable information and encouragement to help you on your road to recovery. We’ve seen first-hand the value of incorporating lived experience and recovery stories into mainstream mental health and alcohol and drug services to provide relatable experiences and empower people.
View the book below:
My story - Recovery Journeys
Recovery journeys
A big part of this book focuses on the creative work by existing service users and their relatives, friends or carers. Here they share their positive and negative experiences, how they turned their life around and what influenced them.
This work comes in the form of poems, stories and art.
Please click on the links below to download a copy of the book and the recovery journal.
Help and advice…
If you are worried about the immediate wellbeing of yourself or someone else you should call 999 or go straight to Accident & Emergency.
For non-emergency help you should talk to your GP or contact the NHS non-emergency number by calling 111. NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.
Your GP can advise you about appropriate treatment and may refer you or your relative or friend to one of our teams.
Some of our services accept self-referral, or a referral from a friend or relative. Search the ‘Our Services’ section on our website to find out what’s available in your area and for more information on how to get referred: www.gmmh.nhs.uk/services
You can also get more information or support through the helplines listed on NHS Choices: www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Suicide/Pages/Getting-help.aspx.
As a service user, relative or carer using our services, sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, advice, and support.
Find resources for carers and service users Contact the Trust