The power of connection in recovery

How connection and support is at the heart of an alcohol and other drug recovery group in Burnie

Each week in a room in Burnie, a small group of people gathers to talk honestly about recovery.

Some are just beginning to consider change. Others are further along. What they share is a commitment to connection, safety and mutual support.

“When I come into this room, the mask comes off and I can let my guard down. I can say what’s going on in my life and there won’t be judgment, just support,” says Danielle, a group participant.

For Danielle and others attending the Resilience and Recovery Group in Burnie, that sense of connection is central to recovery.

Addiction is a health condition often associated with isolation and shame, which can make it harder for people to seek support.

The Resilience and Recovery Group is run by Youth, Family and Community Connections (YFCC) and brings together people at different stages of recovery to support each other through change.

The program is one of the alcohol and other drug treatment services funded by the Australian Government through Primary Health Tasmania.

Danielle says the group has supported people through some of their darkest days.

“I’ve had a 10-year addiction to methamphetamine, and I was also a polydrug user,” she says. “By the end, it was whatever I could get my hands on. In 2023 my life fell apart. I told my family I couldn’t keep doing it anymore.”

Leanne, another participant, says alcohol addiction had taken over her life.

“My life before now was really hard. I was frustrated with myself, and had made multiple suicide attempts,” she says. “My daughter wasn’t living with me. I didn’t have a relationship with my sister, and my marriage was close to over. I didn’t leave the house for seven years.”

Jade says he spent more than half his life using methamphetamine.

“I spent 15 years using meth every day. The only breaks I had were forced on me by prison,” he says. “I was caught up in the court system for a long time.”

All three say a turning point was meeting YFCC staff during their time at Serenity House, a sobering-up facility.

Jade says seeing Ella at Serenity House changed his perspective. Ella is a lived experience peer worker he had known during active use.”

Ella, together with Maddie, a drug and alcohol counsellor, co-facilitate the group. Lived experience is central to how the group supports participants.

“That’s the value of lived experience. Ella understands what it feels like,” Maddie says. “At the core of it is connection. Addiction can be isolating, and the group helps fill that void in a way that feels safe.”

The group alternates between peer-led discussion and structured content, responding to what participants need at the time.

Topics include long-term maintenance and mental health support, which Danielle says has been invaluable.

“At first I didn’t think the five things that I could see in the room (a mindfulness practice) would help,” Danielle says. “But the further I get in recovery, the more I use them. There are lots of situations where I’ve had to ground myself.”

Participants say the group’s strength is the support they provide each other.

“There’s a lot of love in the room. Sharing our experiences is where the power is. A problem shared is a problem halved,” Jade says.

Danielle agrees. “I can say what’s going on in my life and there won’t be judgment, just support. I get advice from Maddie and Ella, and I also learn from other group members’ experiences.”

As their confidence grows, participants say they feel more able to talk about recovery with family, friends and in the community.

The group welcomes people in active use. Participants say this can provide hope for someone who is just starting to consider change, while giving those further along in recovery a chance to model what support can look like.

“The group keeps me accountable. If I relapsed, I’d break my own heart—and break everyone else’s heart as well,” Danielle says. “But I know that there wouldn’t be judgment, just support.”

Over time, participants say the group has become a “chosen family”.

“When someone else is doing it tough, you want to help,” Danielle says. “Thinking about other people’s struggles also helps me with my own. Seeing everyone’s personal growth makes me genuinely happy.”

Leanne says the group changed everything for her.

“I would turn my whole week around for this group,” she says. “It’s been a big reason I’m sober today.”

Leanne says she continues to get support for her mental health, and her relationships have improved.

“I have a great relationship with my daughter and my husband,” Leanne says. “I’m still learning about myself, but I’m starting to like me. A big win for me recently was going to Kmart, and I’ve even met people from the group for coffee.”

Danielle is coming up to 18 months sober. “I still have bad days, but I don’t reach for substances,” she says. “For me now, it’s more about looking after my mental health.”

Jade says coming to the group sessions every week is important for his mental health.

“When I’ve been tempted to use again—like after losing my nan or losing my job—I bring it to the group, and they support me through it,” he says.

“I still carry guilt about things I did during addiction, and I think I always will,” Danielle says. “But you can heal through recovery, and through this community.”

Maddie says the group focuses on kindness and self-compassion. “Recovery can be impeded by shame, so we’ve created a safe space where people can leave that at the door,” she says. “We support people at all stages of recovery. It can be helpful when someone who is further along can sit with someone who is still in active use and offer steady support.”

All of the group agrees.

“It’s almost like looking in the mirror,” Jade says. “You see yourself in the people who walk through the door, and you remember where you were.”

Maddie says the aim is not to tell people what to do, but to share tools and support so they can take the next step for themselves.

Now, two Resilience and Recovery Group participants are working towards roles as peer support workers, using their experience to help others through recovery and to model hope in the community.

“I didn’t think I had opportunities like this when I was in addiction,” Danielle says. “Now I want other people to know recovery is possible.”

Visit the YFCC website for more information.

This story features in Issue 22 of our Primary Health Matters magazine. Click here to read the rest of the issue.