What I Learned at the DDN Conference: A Personal Journey

A Chance to Do Something Different

It’s been a mad busy week – I swear I’ve seen more of England in the last few days than I have in the past few years! From Yorkshire to Durham, and finally down to Birmingham for the 2025 DDN Conference (Drink and Drug News) Conference.

When I was offered the chance to go, I jumped at it. I wasn’t exactly sure what it involved, but after spending so much of my life just surviving, I now say yes to any opportunity that gets me trying something new. Tickets were pretty expensive, so I was genuinely grateful to be going as part of the Waythrough Lived Experience Council. I was buzzing to see a new city and have a night away!

Train Stations, Robots and a Bit of a Pinch-Me Moment

The train to Birmingham was straightforward, although why I packed half my life for one night, I’ve no idea! New Street Station was huge and a bit overwhelming, but it all worked out. I only had to wait about five minutes before another council member and the Waythrough Harm Reduction lead turned up, and we jumped in an Uber to the hotel.

Dinner that evening was unexpectedly fun- it’s not every day a robot delivers your food to the table! There were some great chats around the table, and I started to feel it: that moment where my brain did a little double take. Just a couple of years ago, I was homeless and in active addiction on the streets of Sheffield (read my story here). Now I was sitting having dinner with the people who shape drug and alcohol services, and my voice was part of the conversation.

The Power of Lived Experience

The first speaker was from Changing Futures, talking all about how lived experience is proving a lifeline to those affected by multiple disadvantage. This is obviously a subject really close to my heart and I thought the video they showed was brilliant. It really got the message across about how vital it is that services are shaped by those of us with inside knowledge. That was the only talk I caught in the morning – I think things were running a bit late and I got a bit confused with the timings. I spent a bit of time wandering around the stalls – there were plenty of freebies and I’m a sucker for a free pen! I also got a stress ball (I broke my last one, so I was chuffed to bits) and I bought two T-shirts from the Dear Albert stall.

I also stopped by the Anti-Stigma Network stall and picked up some brilliant badges (because who doesn’t love a badge?!). I’ve attended a few of their webinars before and really appreciate the work they’re doing – I’m looking forward to joining more in the future. It was great chatting to everybody who stopped at the Waythrough stand too, and the sunglasses were dead popular!

Addiction Needs Compassion, Not Punishment

One of the speakers that really stood out to me was Grahame Morris MP. He talked about how we all have political power, even if it doesn’t always feel like it, and how lived experience should be shaping the policies that affect us.

“Addiction needs to be treated with compassion, not punishment.” — Grahame Morris MP

That hit home for me because I know firsthand that I didn’t start to recover because I was punished, I started to recover when I felt seen, supported, and given a bit of hope. His words reminded me why I’m doing all this, because stories like mine can help shift the system.

Learning About Ketamine: From Young People Themselves

Then it was time for the part I’d been looking forward to: the ketamine challenge. It’s not a drug I know much about, it just hasn’t really been around in my circles. But I’ve seen a lot of discussion about the damage it can do, especially to young people. As I’m going into a youth support role soon, I felt it was important for me to understand it better. The young people from Acorn Recovery in Stockport spoke about the Ketamine Care Hub which is a confidential and safe space to talk about addiction and the sensitive health issues that go with it, in a peer-led way. I found it genuinely inspiring, and I came away knowing a bit more than I did before.

Lunch, Freebies and Naloxone

Shortly after that, I caught the scent of food and saw people wandering in with meals. This was probably the only part of the day that could’ve been organised a bit better, it felt like things were running really late, and I felt bad for the speaker having people going in and out with food. But I was starving and didn’t want to miss out, and I’ve got to say, lunch was absolutely delicious… especially the little cakes for pudding! I gave myself a day off my diet – I did loads of walking round anyway.

The Waythrough harm reduction lead gave me an impromptu naloxone training session, and I now have a kit ready. Hopefully I never have to use it, but I’d rather be prepared in case I ever need to save someone’s life. I also heard about some ideas for an app that could help people locate naloxone in an emergency, and I really hope that becomes a reality. If you’d like naloxone training and a kit, I honestly urge you to ask your local drug treatment service — they’ll be able to point you in the right direction. My own life has been saved by naloxone three times. I wouldn’t be here to write this, go to conferences, or do any of what I’m doing now without it. That’s why I’m so passionate about making sure people know about it and have access to it.

WTF Moments and Looking Ahead

There was apparently an “exciting new room” with head massages, crafts, and other bits and bobs, but it was such a full-on day that I didn’t get a chance to check it out. I really hope I get the chance to go again next year, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone working in drugs or recovery services.

There were so many “WTF” moments during the day when it just hit me how much my life has changed. Those years of addiction were devastating and of course, I wish things had been different. But that’s not an option. So instead, I hope to keep using my lived experience to help shape better services for the people who need them most.

Love and Compassion

Need Support?

If you’re struggling with drugs or alcohol, or want harm reduction advice from people who actually get it, check out Waythrough. I’m part of the Lived Experience Council and I can honestly say they care.