" A Royal Hangover" Australian Premiere

A Royal Hangover is a new movie/documentary featuring Russell Brand, and will be screened in Australia first here in Adelaide at The Piccadilly Cinema on the 3rd December at 7:00 pm. Tickets are only available from Visible Recovery, so click on the above picture of Russell, and that link will open up our ticket booking window for you to process that online. Tickets will not be available either at the door or from the cinema as this is a private screening. Get in quick, tickets are selling fast.

R.I.P. Joan Bowen

My mother passed away after a long battle with cancer on Monday, 22nd September, at 5:30pm. I wanted to honour her for the input that she has had with this project. First off for the total support that she gave to me personally throughout my lifetime of addiction, always believing that one day I would get clean and stay clean. That is so massive that I cant even describe to you what that means. Without her support, I would certainly not be here, and neither would Visible Recovery.

I also want to thank her for her assistance in helping me to visualise and crystallise my ideas to the point that this project was physically manifested. There were a few times I was ready to give up, and she would say..."just have faith, all will be well, I know it will...". She was right. 

I am grateful that I was able to have her present at the opening of my business, and that she was able to drop in from time to time with friends and see it all progress to where it is today. In her last days, she told me of how proud she was of me and what I had achieved. I finally felt that the living amends of staying clean and sober one day at a time had achieved a resolve for her and for me. She was proud that I was doing something that has, and will continue, to change peoples lives.

I will miss her kind and selfless manner, and her emotional intelligence, but hold dear to my heart that I was the only one in the room there with her as she took her last breath. RIP mum. I will miss you so much. XXX

New Video!

Well, its been a long time, but it looks like people are still reading this site! Over 11,000 hits, which is astounding really. Who'd a thought it? Not me, that's for sure!. Anyway, here is our new video that is on our website that I made last night. I'm chuffed with it.

The Anonymous People screens again

We are pleased to be screening The Anonymous People for a second time! Join us on Thursday, the 30th January at 7:15 at The Piccadilly Cinema (Cinema 3) for this great documentary. Tickets are only available from Visible Recovery. Go to our website at www.visiblerecovery.com.au and click on the link to purchase from our homepage.

You can see a trailer for the movie here:

https://vimeo.com/64948005

First clients are here!!

I am so very proud to announce that we have our first client group engaging with us at Visible Recovery just after Christmas. This for me is where it all starts. This is what this centre has always been all about...helping others. Recovery happens in peoples lives, but initiating recovery is what we specialise in. People always tell us we should stop, and we intend to show them how in this place. I am already working with some of these people and Im pleased to say they are all doing extremely well.  Long may this continue. All the marketing that we have been doing is reaching far and wide, with some of them from afar in SA and interstate. So pleased that it has all started. So grateful.

Last Chance Folks!!

Tonight we are screening The Anonymous People at The Piccadilly Cinema at 7:15pm (Cinema 3). Don't miss the opportunity to get to the cinema and see a great movie for just $10.00!!! Book here for guaranteed seats...

https://visiblerecovery.wufoo.com/forms/the-anonymous-people-december-11-715pm/

Wow!

To be recognised by having a Labor Minister, the Green Party Leader and The Leader of the Liberal party along with several key Liberal Party Members today at our opening meant a lot to me personally. Minister Ian Hunter's speech was very touching indeed, and his recognition of my recovery journey and what I bring to the table was just wonderful, I almost couldn't believe the words he was saying were about me! I felt very proud in that moment to be able to bring this to the fore along with the vision of what we are doing here at Visible Recovery. I am so pleased that my Mum was there to see all of this as well, it was so very important for me, and very healing for the damage that I caused our relationship as a practising addict. Her son has come full circle now, and is on the cusp of what I believe will be some very exciting times ahead for recovery in South Australia.

It also cemented an end to the hard work of rebuilding the premises, and started the process of gaining and forging closer relationships with Government. We want to get our not-for-profit arm up and running in 2014, and they can assist us in getting another recovery centre up and running for the most vulnerable people in the community - the people exiting jail, the long term unemployed, and the people on long term disability pensions due to substance addiction issues.

So, I keep saying it, but I'm a lucky guy. I have had a fantastic day, and feel the milestone being laid as I move into the next  and exciting phase, admission of new clients to our brand new rehab, and the start of our new business ventures in 2014. Awesome.

The Official Opening Speeches

These are the speeches that were delivered by the Hon Ian Hunter (Labor), Steven Marshall MP (Liberal) and Mark Parnell MLC (The Greens SA) on our opening day event earlier today....Ken doing his usual job of great hosting....

Fantastic Opening Day

What a morning that was. I am just so happy with the way the day panned out for us all at Visible Recovery. Sadly, the news crews obviously didn't want to get a good news story, but there you go. It was well received, and we have formed some new and positive relationships with some key Government officials from all parties today. The multi-party support that was shown by Labor, The Liberals and The Greens was fantastic today, and they need to be commended for showing this in the true spirit of bi-partisanship. That in itself is worth it on its own.

From L to R:- Dr Roly Vinci (Medical Director), Hon John Dawkins MLC (Liberal Party Whip), Hon Ian Hunter (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs), Ken Lodge ( Director), Simon Bowen (Managing Director) Duncan McFetridge MP (Shadow Health Minister), Steven Marshall MP (Leader of The Liberal Party and Shadow Aboriginal Affairs Minister),  Hon Mark Parnell MLC (Leader of the Greens SA)

Our "Official" Opening this week

Well I am looking forward to this. I don't quite know how we managed to pull it all of in such a short time, but we did. We have several key politicians attending this event, and it is one where the Labor Party, Liberal Party and the Greens Party jointly open the facility, which is a real result for multi-party support for our venture.

Joining Ken and I on the day, are the ASG (Aboriginal Sobriety Group), The ALT (Aboriginal Lands Trust), The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Hon Ian Hunter, The Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and the Leader of the Liberal Party, Steven Marshall MP, and the Leader of the Greens Party, Mark Parnell MLC, have all confirmed their attendance and will deliver a short opening speech on the day. They will be joined by Hon John Dawkins MLC, Rachel Sanderson MP and Duncan McFetridge MP, as well as some key personnel from DASSA (Drug and Alcohol Services SA), SA Mental Health, SANDAS (South Australian Network of Drug and Alcohol Services), DEEWR (Department of Employment, Education and Work Relations), and other industry invited guests.

We have informed all of the media, and Channel 7 have already said they would do a story, with Channel 2 sounding very interested as well. The print media have also been invited along, so I am confident that one of them at least will get there with a camera to publicise this much needed service in South Australia. 

 

8,000 views and counting

Honestly!!! 8,000 plus views??!!! Thank you all for your incredible support regards the blog, and our company, Visible Recovery Pty Ltd. The promotion of this blog and the company by all of you has been fantastic. Make sure you get to see The Anonymous People. It is such a great movie. Tickets are available from us via the link on my last post.

The Anonymous People Tickets

Tickets are now available for The Anonymous People screening at Cinema 3, The Piccadilly Cinema on Wednesday December 11 at 7:15 pm. Tickets are only available from Visible Recovery, via this link. This is on a first come first serve basis, with only 180 tickets available. A second screening may happen in January 2014 if there is enough demand. Please go to the following link to request your tickets, and a PayPal invoice will be sent to your provided email address for payment within 24 hours. Thanks.

https://visiblerecovery.wufoo.com/forms/the-anonymous-people-december-11-715pm/

 

A First in Australia - The Anonymous People Screening

Visible Recovery are pleased to announce the first official screening in Australia of the new documentary movie, The Antonymous People. It is a story of the incredibly large recovery movement in America, and describes accurately why we need to make recovery visible everywhere before the stigma and shame associated with addiction can change. It showcases some incredible statistics, as well as some incredible people and their commitment to speaking out about recovery. I would urge you all to see this movie. Visible Recovery have planned for one screening only at The Piccadilly Cinema in North Adelaide on Wednesday the 11th December at 7:15 pm. There are only 180 tickets available, and they are only available from us. Please do not call the cinema for tickets as they have none available. I will be setting up a web link for those of you that would like to come along that will enable you to register for tickets that you require. We will then send you out a PayPal invoice for payment. The tickets will be sold for $10.00 each. This link will be up on this blog, and on our Facebook page on Friday night. Once we hit 180 people, if there are enough people interested in seeing it for a second screening, this will be arranged for January 2014. So...bring your friends!

The Video - from start to finish

The Refurbishment of 307 South Terrace Adelaide

New plants out front, a spit and polish, and we're off!!

Tonight saw the first of three opening events happen very successfully indeed. Ken and I worked hard (with the odd coffee at Bici!!) and got the place looking fantastic prior to our opening for neighbours and contractors. It went really well indeed. I guess about 25 people turned up or so, but they were the right ones, and for their interest in this facility I am grateful. It all ran really very smoothly with cake and coffee being served from Bici, and a presentation from both Ken and I, and I believe that we were able to ensure that our arrival in South East Adelaide has been appreciated and accepted by the folk that reside in the area. That, to Ken and I, is very important indeed.

Tomorrow is the invited family and friends event. I am hoping that goes just as well, and I am sure that it will. There are a few more then 25 coming though, so it will be busy.

The other day when I said that we were the only private 12 step rehabilitation service in Adelaide, I meant that literally. I meant  in the square mile City of Adelaide. I have a good friend in Mim White, who runs a private facility in Kangarilla, does a fantastic job with recovering addicts in rehabilitation, and has done for many, many years. Addiction Counselling Services is definitely still running. I don't want there to be any confusion about that at all.

So here is Kens contribution to the front of the rehab. Brilliant. Thanks Ken. Quite twee isn't it??

  

Presentation went well.

The DASSA presentation I did at 2pm this afternoon was well received. With our main competitor (GATS) folding and finally closing for good just last week, we are now the only private service in Adelaide remaining. (I couldn't have planned that if you paid me to.)

I was taken for a tour of their new facility in Glenside, and very nice it is too. They have a 30 bed detox facility split into three areas; it is light and airy, and comfortable and respectful. They aren't at capacity at all at the moment, and expect that to possibly stay in place until the Xmas and New Years rush, but who can tell.....

Their admission times are very good, and will be able to assist us with our beds at the rehab that we have for Indigenous people with substance misuse issues. Donna is going to bring a few of the staff over for a look at our facility in the very near future, and loved what they saw and heard today. Great partnership development there, I am sure they will be an ally truly worth having onside.

We have managed to get a galley page up for those of you that haven't seen it on the website yet. Why don't you go to www.visiblerecovery.com.au/gallery/ and you will see a few new pics, and the building in all of its splendour. The more I look at these pictures, the more I see the incredible change that we have enabled in this building. I only hope we manage to change peoples lives in the same way, and get them all to enjoy the beauty they deserve to feel within.

A final bit of furniture...

We got our last few bits of furniture today for the rehab. Well, for now anyway. They are nice though. A couple of hall stands and a coffee table for the office. A new entertainment centre for the lounge, and a new office table as well. Robust and funky, yet rustic. A nice vase of flowers on each will work wonders.

  

  

The end is nigh...

Well dear readers, the end of this mission is very nearly upon us. There is really very little to do at all now at the rehab bar making a few beds,  going around with tins of paint and snagging here and there, grouting the staff bathroom where 6 new tiles have been fixed back to the wall, a general clean up and there you go. One business ready to start changing lives.

We have our opening events for family and friends and neighbours on two nights next week, and the media release planned for the first week in December. We have asked that Steve Marshall (the leader of the Liberal Party) officially open the event, and we are just waiting to hear back from his Executive Assistant on available dates. Channel 7 have already thrown their hat into the ring to get this out there, and I am certain there will be other coverage, and perhaps even radio interviews as well. Exciting times.

Cause he's the renderer, yeah he's the renderer....

Ken has been busy rendering the front porch, ably assisted by Gandalf, the co-dependant dog. I'll let the pictures do the talking....

"Now...if I just put that on there.... "

"...looks to me like you missed a bit Ken..."

Looking much better...

Plumb tuckered....!

I managed to get a few good meetings under my belt today. I have a presentation next week with DASSA (Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia) at the new detox facility in Glenside, so I am looking forward to that. It is meetings like this that will become referral business for clients seeking treatment, so very worthwhile.

The final week of refurbishment

We are finally there. We are looking down the barrel of finishing the work on the building by the end of this week. I managed to get the external windows finished off today, there are a few tiles in the staff bathroom to replace, a fence to repaint, and a bit of rendering under the patio, a building clean and a few snags and that is all folks. 

We can then start the mighty task of marketing the business to the various doctors, counsellors, psychologists, mental health practitioners, and other services, as well as sports clubs, mining companies and other blue chip employers with large staffing levels. I think we should be able to find the first 4-6 people to start the ball rolling fairly soon, but  if there is anything that any of you can suggest that might be helpful, please email me at firststep@visiblerecovery.com.au with your suggestions.

This has been a mammoth task, and I will write a list of thanks when we finally pull stumps later in the week. Just the thought of being able to come to work in a clean clothes and go home clean will be a whole new experience for me, and one I am certainly looking forward to. The thought that soon there will be people there that want help changing their lives thrills me no end. Personally, I can't wait....