“The road to recovery is not an easy one. It requires determination and commitment, strength and support." - Wynford Ellis Owen.
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Welcome to Wynford Ellis OwenAddictions
So what is the process by which the alcoholic becomes dependent? William Styron in his extended essay ‘Darkness Visible, a memoir of madness’ describes it this way, ‘Alcohol was an invaluable senior partner of my intellect, besides being a friend whose ministrations I sought daily – sought also, I now see, as a means to calm the anxiety and incipient dread that I had hidden away for so long somewhere in the dungeons of my spirit’. Alcohol for William Styron, as he discovered very early on in his life, was an effective “friend” in helping him change his mood. It made him feel better. This is how the social drinker, unwittingly, learns that chemicals can change how you feel. For the majority of people, that is the beginning of a lifetime pattern of “social drinking” (or moderate drinking). For the unfortunate few, however, the experience is a gateway to the total devastation that chemical dependency wreaks, both on its immediate victim and on the family members who share his tragedy.
Its causes are a combination of individual difference and life events. Those who do develop addictions, however, often start ‘using’ in order to block out the feelings associated with an emotional trauma. After taking hold addiction affects the whole individual.
How We Can Help- Alcohol
- Love and Sex
- Drugs
- Over/Under Eating
- Gambling
About Wynford Ellis Owen, Chief Executive
As one who was dependent on alcohol and other drugs
An integral part of the strategy is the appointment of Chief Executive Officer to the Council, and I have just been appointed to the post. As one who was dependent on alcohol and other drugs myself, I succeeded, through God’s grace, to rebuild my relationship with my family, and to restore my career as a writer, actor and director. Three years ago, I returned to college and was awarded a degree from Bath University that qualifies me to counsel alcohol and drug dependent people. Prior to my appointment to the Council I worked as a counsellor in Rhoserchan, www.rhoserchan.org.uk, the treatment centre in Cardiganshire.
Now enjoy the rest of the website…and may I recommend that you begin your journey by relaxing and joining us on a guided meditation. Relaxation can help us build new beliefs that we are in control of and responsible for our coping responses (dealing appropriately with anger and anxiety issues arising from low frustration tolerance; all-or-nothing thinking; overgeneralization; catastrophizing, etc). Relaxation is also important because anxiety is often a component of drug and alcohol use, etc – they often report that they drink or use in order to relax.
Oh, and don’t forget…. that you can also contribute to our Blog (we’re looking forward to reading your contributions); read about how others have recovered from the ‘only illness that tells you there’s nothing wrong with you’; access ‘Our Little White Book of Helpful Hints’; learn more about alcohol and drug misuse and their dependence syndrome; read about the services we offer; as well as learning more about who’s who at the Welsh Council – and in particular the esteemed members of our superb Policy Advisory Group (PAG). We’ll also try to share with you in ‘things spiritual’ some thoughts about the spiritual component of dependence – for as Carl Jung once said in a letter to Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, when describing in a letter Roland H, a mutual friend of theirs who had recently found recovery from alcoholism, ‘His craving for alcohol was the equivalent, on a low level, of the spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed in medieval language: the union with God’. Jung continues ‘The only right and legitimate way to such an experience is that it happens to you in reality, and it can only happen to you when you walk on a path which leads you to a higher understanding. You may be led to that goal by an act of Grace or through a personal and honest contact with friends, or through a higher education of the mind beyond the confines of mere rationalism. I see from your letter that Roland H has chosen the second way, which was, under the circumstances, obviously the best one’.
That last but one quote in italics by Carl young, incidentally, summarises the whole purpose of this website, it is to facilitate ‘a personal and honest contact with friends’. Join us, therefore friends, on this wonderful journey of mutual discovery…..
No room To Live Launch
Popular Welsh actor Wynford Ellis Owen’s first ever English language book, No Room to Live, was launched last night at The Temple of Peace, Cardiff. Written as a self-help book, it’s hard-hitting and thought-provoking, poignant yet suitably sobering.
Ellis Owen explains, “Alcoholism and dependency on drugs, both prescription and illicit, ruin lives. It’s a slippery slope into despair and despondency. You risk losing everything, your self-respect, your home, your family. I know because I’ve been there. My book, No Room to Live, focuses on how to regain control of life and find happiness once again.
“The road to recovery is not an easy one. It requires determination and commitment, strength and support. My book is one of many tools available to people to help them rebuild their lives. There is a range of support organisations out there too, including the Welsh Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs. So while life for sufferers might seem a lonely and depressing place, there is hope, comfort and support.
“I’m delighted to reveal that all proceeds from my book will be donated towards setting up a free, bilingual day-care rehabilitation centre in Cardiff. The Living Room Cardiff/Yr Ystafell Fyw Caerdydd, will offer help for anyone experiencing difficulties relating to alcohol, drugs (prescribed or illicit), or any other dependency, such as eating disorders, love and sex addiction, gambling and self-harm. My book is intended, therefore, to help others to rebuild their lives.”
No Room to Live offers a positive way out from the hell, told through the personal experiences and thoughts of a high profile former addict, Wynford Ellis Owen, who is now the Chief Executive of the Welsh Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs.
This is a personal reflection, and one that will appeal to anybody who wishes to escape from addiction but feels hopelessly trapped. The book is written with warmth and humour by a man who had it all, lost it all, and then, after much soul searching, successfully found lasting freedom from his own demons. If he did it, so can you...
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