The Ballymun Recovery Podcast is among the range of activities taking place to mark Recovery Month in Ballymun this year, an initiative that aims to celebrate recovery, confront the stigma of addiction, and involve the local community in finding solutions to challenges experienced by people in the area.

Those in charge of Ballymun Recovery decided in 2020 that Recovery Month needed to be for everyone in the community, including the families of those affected by addiction. The Ballymun Recovery Podcast, which is available where ever you get your podcasts, speaks to community workers and Ballymun locals and asks them what recovery means to them, and also shares recovery stories, an initiative shared their own personal stories of recovery.

Chair of Ballymun Recovery Brian Foley spoke to Dublin Live about Ballymun Recovery Month and the podcast, and explained the purpose of all activities taking place as part of the occasion this September. He explained: "There's three aims of Ballymun Recovery; to challenge the stigma around addiction and recovery, to increase hope for people and to promote different recovery options for people facing challenges with substance use.

"This is the people of the community coming together. One of the things people like to see is Ballymun people helping Ballymun people. The podcast and Recovery Month is a public display of support for recovery in Ballymun." Brian then spoke about how Ballymun Recovery is promoting the idea of 'visible recovery' rather than anonymous recovery.

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He explained: "It's important that people in the community, even if they're not affected by substance abuse, feel that the community is doing something to help itself. In the past, people might have been more likely to be anonymous when it came to their recovery. We're more about visible recovery.

"When it's visible, it can become quite attractive for other people if they can see someone else did it." Events taking place in Ballymun this September as part of Recovery Month include fitness classes, workshops and meetups.

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