SAILADAY OK is a therapeutic activity for clients recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. It takes place aboard a cruising yacht in south west Cornwall (nearest port Falmouth), sailing for between one and five days duration.

This is a healthy, physical, self-esteem enhancing and enjoyable pursuit offering participants the opportunity to increase personal awareness and physical competence; to practice communication skills and self assertiveness and to engage in team work whilst learning sailing and navigation skills. The nature of addiction is to be disconnected from self and others. The ultimate therapeutic purpose of SAILADAY OK is to encourage reconnection with self through participants' heightened body awareness and reflecting on their experience, and to support their connecting to others. Goal is the integration of this gifted and creative group of people into the wider community to the benefit of 'one and all' '


Therapeutic aspects of the activity include encouragement to ...

• engage in physical exercise
• participate in negotiating schedule and activities
• be part of a team
• connect with natural problem solving resources
• reflect on and express some thoughts and feelings
• Educational learning of skills.
• Evaluate experience (by the therapeutic process)
• Practice enjoying oneself
  

The primary purpose is for participants to have a positive experience of themselves. This is the foundation for positive personal changes to take place. . We have had enough experience and collected enough evidence to confirm there is a need for this therapeutic activity. The positive changes experienced by the clients are fundamental alterations in self awareness that help the client deal better with the world around him/herself without the use of alcohol or drugs. Development of self-esteem, self awareness and a positive image of themselves are the foundation for these changes, in order to help in the process of re-intergration into society and overcome barriers to inclusion.


SAILADAY OK now has clear objectives and all the support necessary for a successful future. There are further therapeutic aspects to the day. Being on a boat of this size can be challenging to this client group and may cause uncomfortable feelings due to being close to others, belonging to a team, and possibly subsequent feelings of anxiety and fear. They will be encouraged to express and process what they are feeling and thinking. The nature of addiction and alcoholism is to disconnect from others and from one self. A consequent of being disconnected from oneself is an inability to connect with natural problem solving resources. The SAILADAY sessions offers exercises which heightens participant awareness of their bodies and the opportunity to reconnect with it. Time is taken to contract what the clients needs and wants from the session as well as time taken at the end to asses the success of this session. For overnight sessions there will be process group time as I believe that important changes need to be made overt in order to integrate them, time needs to be taken to reflect. These will be opportunities to process thoughts, feelings and experiences from the day.