As a recovering alcoholic and addict himself, Don uses his personal experience and passion for recovery to help others face their addictions, trauma and self-destructive behaviours.Life Works is committed to providing the highest quality treatment for addictions, compulsive behaviours and related mental health disorders in a safe, comfortable environment where the best possible staffing and therapeutic techniques are available.
Areas for Don’s expert comment:
Issues relating to any areas of addiction or compulsive behaviours. These include:
Alcohol Addiction
Drug Addiction
Eating Disorders
Sex Addiction
Love Addiction
Co-dependency
Co-Occuring Disorders
Trauma
Gambling Addiction
Relapse Prevention
Don’s background:
Don has achieved 24 years of continuous sobriety.
Don had his first drink at the age of 5. Both of his parents were drug and alcohol addicts which led to him developing a liking for beer and marijuana. By the age of 14, he had been dealing soft drugs for many years, had quit school, been kicked out of home and had commenced a life of full time dealing. Don was using cocaine, angel dust and LSD.
Within 5 years, Don was addicted to injecting speedballs, a lethal mix of heroin and cocaine, leading to several near fatal overdoses. Don was drawn into a dangerous drug ring where guns were pulled and the threat of jail loomed.
Without any help or medical insurance, Don was forced to battle his addictions alone. However, Don soon replaced his drug and alcohol addiction with work. Don’s career progression led him to merchant banking, taking him around the world. But with long hours and intense environments, he became addicted to the adrenaline rush. As Don’s workaholism took over, his marriage and work life began to disintegrate. He reached an all time low and became clinically depressed.
Don sought professional help in Arizona, where, far from the standard treatments available in Britain, clinicians in the Arizona were able to help Don uncover and face the underlying issues and trauma that had plagued him constantly throughout his life.
On returning to the UK, it became clear to Don that the level of treatment and support he had received in the US was simply not available in the UK. As such he founded Life Works in 2004 offering programmes designed by many of the leading clinicians and mirroring the best of what was available in America.
About Life Works:
Life Works has one of the most successful completion rates of any treatment centre, with an average of over 82% - the UK industry average being under 50% - establishing Life Works as one of Europe’s leading addictions treatment centres. The Residential Treatment Centre is based in Old Woking, Surrey, with a further centre on Duke Street, Central London. Their philosophy is based on treating the whole person – healing the mind, body, spirit and emotions. Treatment follows the 12-step programme, looking at individual’s lives, past and present, where they are now and past trauma / experiences that could have led to problems. Life Works also believe that the cycle of addiction and dysfunction is trans-generational. For this reason Life Works also supports the families through their Family Works Programme. Counsellors work with the families to identify detrimental elements and to understand the nature of addiction. In this way individuals and their families can begin to heal the emotional pain together, thus creating a stronger support network. Further information is available at www.lifeworkscommunity.com
For further information or to schedule an interview please contact:
Beccy Whittles or Abbie Salisbury, MAX PR & Events Ltd
beccy@maxpr-
To download high res images please visit:
http://www.maxpr-
Life Works: 01483 757 572
