We focus on the ‘how to’ of recovery by showing you the way that others have turned their lives around and connecting you with information and professionals in the field of rehabilitation, treatment and well-being.

Inexcess talks about addiction and recovery with individuals, family members and support groups, and debates the latest issues with addiction experts and healthcare professionals. Our Find Help section provides practical advice and links to service providers.

As well as helping people, our aim is to change the perception and image of addiction by talking about it openly and honestly, and by sharing personal stories of hope and inspiration.

Recovery is all about moving from the darkness, fear and loneliness of drink, drug and mental health problems to freedom and light. Share that journey here with the many others that are finding new direction and purpose in their lives.

“In my search for recovery, I’m meeting the people who are turning their lives around and finding out what is working for them… I’m sharing what I’m learning.”

George Williams
Founder

“A number if times I tried to stop, would end up back in prison and again would leave as an addict” - Losing the respect of his children, losing his marriage and his parents giving up on him, Ruben would eventually get fed up of having no zest of life and he decided to get clean.

He says “I ended up homeless and destitute but was still happy to do drugs and that played on my mind but it didnt impact straight away” But the thing that hit him like a two by four across the back of the head was something his mum would say to him aged 49…

Having alienated his family, the turning point for Sam came as he was waiting for his next script - homeless, just out of jail he realised that he was feeling rubbish more often than feeling high and that the drugs were keeping him feeling like he was constantly withdrawing and in fact there were no positives to his drug taking anymore.

“You think that the problem is above you, it’s too big a problem for you to deal with but it’s not true, it’s in the individuals hands and anyone can do it”

Losing his brother and worrying that his Mother might lose two sons, Hercules decided that he had to do something with his life and started his recovery - although rehab didnt work for him, he maintained recovery because he liked what he was seeing and now 4 years down the line with the help of Intuitive Recovery and a change in his thinking, life is worth living again.

A successful business owner who had everything “I was living a good life - a wife, children, a good house”
Richard lost it all thought drugs and eventually alcohol. The success of his business brought money which in turn led to Class A drugs what followed soon became a life of drugs, Richard was in and out of prison and coming off drugs soon led him to the bottle.

Now in recovery, Richard says that he finds it a high in itself - “It’s a buzz to be straight”

His relationship with drugs began in his teens in New York and lasted more than 20 years. What started with smoking crack occasionally soon ended up every-day and out of control. A return to England and a fresh start intended to break the habit failed and the crack explosion of the 70’s simply fuelled the problem.

Outed by the press after taking drugs in a London nightclub, he lost his job, his wife and his house, and his whole life spiralled out of control. At the bottom he was smoking heroin as well as crack on top of a Methadone script, an incredibly dangerous combination.

Finally, finding an answer in Intuitive Recovery, life changed, a light went on and he reclaimed his life. Jefferson is now proud to be able to say “I am the person I was ” once again.

Out of the despair following Hester’s death Maryon campaigned for GBL to be banned, and to expose the dangers of legal highs. Although she was successful in getting GBL banned she came to realise that bans wouldn’t stop the ‘crazy chemists’ in China and south America from producing new drugs to stay one step ahead of the law and the next banning order, so she switched her focus to education and founded the Angelus Advisory Board, a group of experts who now advise government and operate a centre of excellence to analyse the content of legal highs and identify the individual harms they can cause.

The information Angelus has produced when used in education or conversation with children has proved to be very successful, in some cases reducing use of legal highs and alcohol by 50% to 80% over a year.

In order to work on the helpline, a six-week training course is mandatory. Volunteers look at everything related to alcoholism; from the neurochemistry of alcohol to the problems that children of alcohol-dependent parents may face. Volunteers spend time exploring how different sources of support can help those who are affected by someone else’s drinking. Most importantly, volunteers are trained to become competent in basic listening skills and are equipped with an understanding of how to work with vulnerable people in a helpline setting.

The Nacoa helpline, phone and email, receives calls from children of all ages who are affected by a parent’s drinking, as well as calls from concerned relatives and friends. We also deal with requests from professionals working with children who would like further information about how they can best support a child affected by parental alcoholism. The content of calls varies and experiences do not necessarily have to be recent. Some callers discuss past experiences of living with someone who had a drinking problem which they may only be coming to terms with now.

Nacoa also supports children whose parents may not admit that they have a problem with alcohol.

After becoming a helpline volunteer, I was offered the position of helpline assistant, a part-time paid role in the office of Nacoa. It is through this role that I have come to see that without a doubt, Nacoa would not be able to operate to the extent that it does without it’s diverse and dedicated team of volunteers, who are based all around the UK.. Non-helpline volunteers take part in other activities such as; speaking, fundraising, raising awareness through leaflet hand-outs and tasks for the media.

“Thanks to NACOA for what has been an absolute milestone in my personal counselling process. Speaking to your helpline and receiving the information pack felt like I was ‘coming home’. A huge piece of jigsaw had fallen into place.”– Helpline Caller

Perhaps the most notable lesson I have learned during my time at Nacoa, both for use on the helpline as well as in my personal life, is the importance of listening. Just being there for someone, listening to their problems, their concerns and validating their experiences, is a powerful practise, and one that would undoubtedly benefit wider society if everyone took the time to listen just a little bit more in their daily lives.

With the time given by helpline volunteers, Nacoa is able to fulfil its primary aim; to offer information, advice and support to children of alcohol-dependent parents. Moreover, for many, just knowing that Nacoa exists, that there are other children out there who share similar experiences can make an enormous difference to someone trying to come to terms with a parent’s/relative’s drinking problem. I remember looking through the phone book when I was young not knowing where to turn to for help, or even what the problem was that I needed to get help for! If only I had known about Nacoa then, it could’ve made such a difference to the way I experienced my teenage years at home.

Although the impact of parental drinking on children is becoming more recognised, and Nacoa puts a lot of effort in to raising awareness, there is still a lack of comprehensive support services for those affected. This is something that I hope will become more of a priority throughout the UK in the coming years. Despite the grim financial climate, I believe that investing time, money and care in support services for children of addicted parents is both a necessary and benevolent investment for the future.

My time at Nacoa has been wonderful, due in part to the strong sense of optimism that guides the work but also to the friendships that I have cultivated with fellow volunteers and supporters. I hope that Nacoa’s work becomes better recognised so that other children can have the support needed, in order to stop the cycle of addiction that can so often torment and in the worst cases, destroy families.