Poetry and Addiction Recovery

This week on Talk Recovery Radio we have 2 guests, first half of the show Charlotte Sista C Ferrell who is a dramatic poet, scriptwriter and indie filmmaker. Our second guest is a returning guest Dr. Robb Kelly who is coming back onto the show to share more about his story of addiction and recovery as well about the Robb Kelly Group and what they have been up to in the past year. You can catch it all LIVE on our Facebook page Talk Recovery Vancouver. 

Guest 1

Charlotte Sista C Ferrell

About Charlotte: Charlotte Sista C Ferrell is a dramatic poet, scriptwriter, and indie filmmaker whose short, social-issue themed films, One Score and 17 Nights, and Sisters Out of the Box, have won festival awards. As a resident of Los Angeles, she creates short documentaries of children and older people she mentors as poetic “Ambassadors of Peace and Love.”

In Vancouver, she is the host/producer for a weekly “Speak Up” radio show at cjsf.ca, and a senior-led podcast, Powered by Age. Drawing upon her experience as a former university instructor and her healing journey (from multiple crashes), she facilitates workshops on transformational poetry; increasing self-love and enhancing voice confidence. 

I am a S.T.A.R.R. - Speaker, Teacher & Author with Remarkable Results eliciting people's stories or goals related to their health and wellbeing.. I assist people and organizations to vision, revitalize or activate their stories or goals utilizing direct and digital media. My independent poetry "soaring" poetic therapy work has included weekly writing-open mike sessions at a Los Angeles residential recovery center; providing  poetic exploration, writing and  expression sessions for different sobriety or recovery programs.  I do not video any poetry performances or workshops I do at recovery centers but I do have some clips of me during a D.T.E.S. showcase. I also have a workbook that some rehabilitation programs have found to be beneficial

Guest 2 Dr. Robb Kelly Robb Kelly, PhD – The Recovery Expert – was born in Manchester England. He grew up in a family of musicians and developed a strong love for music at an early age. He was performing on stage at the age of nine. During his early twenties, he worked at the elite and influential Abbey Roads Studio, as a session musician in London. Addiction was always close to his heart as Dr. Kelly was born into a family that had a history of alcoholism. He began drinking and using drugs at an early age, but he managed to stay on a path of success, moving to Oxford in the early 1980’s to pursue a PhD in Psychology at the prestigious University of Oxford.

He continued to drink heavily during his time in Oxford – but still managed to complete his Doctorate studies, graduating with a PhD in psychology in 1984. Even though he was a heavy drinker – no one would have predicted, that he would be living on the streets of Manchester, homeless and alone. He recalls the night where he had a staggering revelation when it came to his own alcoholism. It would later coin two of his most popular catch phrases: “The Problem is not our Drinking, it is our Thinking” and “Step out of the Disease, and into the Solution.” Dr. Kelly was standing on a street corner one night in Manchester.

His body was shaking from alcohol withdrawal, and he stood in front of a liquor store, trembling, desperately waiting for the store to open. He knew that as soon as he drank that first sip of alcohol, he would feel relief. As soon as the liquor store opened, he rushed into the store. The clerk grabbed a bottle of Vodka from the shelf, and placed it in a brown paper bag in front of him. As he lifted the bag in his hands his trembling stopped. His body stopped shaking and his mind rested at ease. He had not even taken that first sip; it was just the promise of alcohol that stopped his shaking and eased his restless mind.

About Robb Kelly Group

At Robb Kelly Recovery Group, we treat clients from all walks of life, and we will work with anyone who desperately wants to recover. Robb Kelly has always used the phrase: “You cannot just buy our Services you have to earn them” Many people fail our assessment; they are not ready to get well. We refuse to take money off anyone who isn’t ready. At Robb Kelly Recovery Group, we focus on healing the body, mind, and spirit of our clients. We are constantly reminding our clients that the real problem is our thinking, not our drinking. Utilizing Neuro-Linguistic programming, Somatic Experiencing Techniques, and behavior observation- we can change our thought pattern – we can change our behavior. Positive thoughts lead to positive behavior.

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