Postcard From Recovery

Problem

In Ireland there is a ratio of 2:1 men to women in drug treatment. Women who suffer from substance abuse have different needs to men who do so. There are many extra difficulties that women in this situation face including the stigma attached to being a mother and fears about the impact drug use might have on their children. Advocacy is required to share that women in this situation have needs that are not always recognised. Furthermore, they need empathy and love from the public to facilitate their recovery.

Process

Learning from the sisters’ stories was a big turn in our project. Thanks to them we have been able to put words on what the message was meant to be. By researching on activities provided by recovery centres, we learned that Singing as a therapy was an effective tool to build union within the sisters in Recovery. We also got in touch with the president of a recovery center in Dublin 1. I was afraid that a postcard would not be enough for a project of such importance, but in the end I realised that the only thing I could do to help was raising awareness for a community that does not have enough empathy from the public.

Proposal

I saw Recovery centers as places where the sisters go to take a breath and heal, which is away from relatives and where they meet their friends. So the idea of Postcards came to mind. Since we deliver a message to the audience and we also give them news from people whose we still have an old school vision of. It seemed like an appropriate way to communicate about women in Recovery because we put distance between the public and the problem but we also create a new kind of connection. Therefore we do not offend nor critcate people’s values but suggest a healthier way of treating the sisters.

This is the Front of the first postcard, Below is the back