Open Road Vange

21/11/2025

🎄It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in todays Creative Arts Group facilitated by our irreplaceable Peer Mentor Andrea. Join us every Friday at 1.30pm as we're now making Christmas Decorations for the festive season.

20/11/2025

https://www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/deaths-involving-nitazenes-quadruple-in-a-year/

19/11/2025

🫶 More unbelievable work from our Recovery Champion Julian placing soil in our secondary garden ready for a veg patch next year. Julian, we are so grateful for your hard work and all the dedication you've shown to this flourishing project.

💜 Making Recovery Visible. Thank you.

19/11/2025

🎉Celebrating our Recovery Volunteer's 1000th Day Sober and a year volunteering at Open Road Vange in todays Breakfast Club.

💜 Congratulations on these wonderful milestones - every one at Open Road appreciates everything you do for the service.

18/11/2025

17/11/2025

💜 This week in Relapse Prevention we will be doing a session on Bereavement and Grief. In the session we will balance psychoeducation, emotional processing, coping skills, and grounding so the session stays supportive rather than overwhelming.

🕐 Come and join the session with Jamie tomorrow at 1pm.

🗣️Grief is one of the most powerful emotional experiences a person can go through. It can bring sadness, anger, guilt, numbness, loneliness, and confusion. For people in recovery, these emotions can feel overwhelming because bereavement shakes our sense of stability.

When someone we love dies, routines change, support systems can feel different, and old coping mechanisms — including substance use — may resurface.
Today’s session is not about going into the deepest parts of our grief, but about understanding how bereavement can impact our recovery, and learning healthy ways to cope, honour our loved ones, and stay grounded and supported.

14/11/2025

We’re excited to announce our new partnership with Turning Corners Football Group! ⚽💙

Turning Corners offers a social-inclusion football team for over-18s, giving people a safe space to connect, get active, and build confidence through support and community.

If you’re looking for purpose, connection, or just a positive way to spend your time, this could be a great fit.

Speak Jamie or Richard from the Open Road Vange Team if you’d like to get involved! The amazing Chris from this organisation will be doing a drop-in day at our centre soon.

Turning Corner's football group

13/11/2025

Your health matters — protect it. 💪
Flu jabs and BBV testing now available at free here at Open Road Vange for Clients. Recovery isn’t just about what you stop doing — it’s about taking care of yourself, inside and out.

🧠Did you know?
Flu and blood-borne viruses can hit harder if your immune system is run down.
Getting tested and vaccinated helps keep you and your community safe.

Protect your health this winter. 🌡️
Staying on top of your health is a key part of recovery — prevention and awareness save lives. Speak to your recovery worker for a referral. 💜

13/11/2025

💜Recovery isn’t just about stopping substances — it’s about rebuilding a life that feels meaningful, connected, and fulfilling. That’s where our wellbeing and community groups play a vital role.

💜Groups like Peer Support, Breakfast Club, and Creative Arts offer a safe and relaxed space to connect with others, share experiences, and rediscover enjoyment and purpose in daily life.

💜These sessions might look informal, but they’re a powerful part of recovery. They help:

✨ Build routine and structure, creating positive habits.
✨ Strengthen confidence and self-esteem through participation and creativity.
✨ Develop social connections and reduce isolation — key protective factors against relapse.
✨ Encourage self-expression and mindfulness, helping people process emotions in healthy ways.
✨ Create a sense of belonging and community, reminding everyone that recovery doesn’t happen alone.

When people feel connected, valued, and supported, they’re more likely to sustain their recovery and continue growing.

“Recovery isn’t only about what you stop doing — it’s about what you start discovering about yourself.” 🌱

11/11/2025

💜Well done to everyone who was so open, honest and reflective in todays Relapse Prevention Group as we discussed trying to manage the stress of the festive period leading to relapse or trying to navigate your first sober Christmas.

💚As we move closer to Christmas, it’s completely normal for mixed feelings to come up. For some, it’s excitement — lights, family, celebration.
But for others, it can bring stress, pressure, loneliness, or painful memories. And for many people in recovery, the festive season can be one of the biggest challenges of the year.

💚Christmas is often linked with alcohol, parties, socialising, and traditions that may have been part of our substance use in the past. Even the build-up — adverts, family plans, expectations — can stir up emotions or memories that feel uncomfortable.

💚But here’s the important part: Christmas doesn’t have to be a trigger that throws us off course. It can also be an opportunity — a chance to experience the season differently, with clarity, peace, and pride in the progress we’ve made.

💚This might be your first sober Christmas, or maybe you’ve done a few before. Either way, it’s okay if it feels strange, emotional, or even a bit empty at first. That’s all part of recovery — learning new ways to celebrate, to rest, and to connect.
Today’s session is about preparing for that. We’re going to talk honestly about what makes Christmas hard, and we’ll look at some tools and plans to help you feel stronger and more confident as it approaches.

💚Because the goal isn’t just to get through Christmas — it’s to own it in a way that protects your recovery and supports your wellbeing.

10/11/2025

Whether you’re in active recovery or thinking about change, this is a reminder that your wellbeing and your support network matter more than ever.

✅ Take a moment today to check in — with yourself, with someone you trust.
✅ Ask: What do I need this week to stay strong?
✅ Remember: You’re not alone, and you don’t have to face the next steps by yourself.