Joan had to look abashed, just slightly. Not because she was ashamed of what she used to do, but simply that her work was more hands on than any psychiatrist. "I was a sober companion," she said. "Not a proper counsellor. I helped addicts - I would live with them and help them become accustomed to living a life without their drug. In a way it was counselling through a trauma, but addiction is also very different from that. I just know that sharing and being around groups, and helping yourself live as an individual and a piece of a whole, can help emotional healing."