A must read message of hope for those suffering with, or affected by, the pain of addiction. - Chris

How do your thoughts on retirement differ from most people – in other words, what makes you a retirement rebel? The key, Siobhan insists, is to face ageing with a positive attitude. “I’m not saying to be as crazy as me and get rid of all your possessions and your home. But think outside the box and try to age in a way where you’re living, not just existing,” Siobhan advises. “A couple of women I know have made pacts with their daughters to go on an adventure together twice a year, and I thought that was a great idea to bring generations together.” Maff’s best story though is setting up a homeless shelter in the World’s biggest building for Christmas, the millennium dome, for charity Crisis. An unconventional retirement wasn’t always on the cards for Siobhan. After working as a nurse for 9 years, in the 1980s she decided to retrain as a journalist after hearing an advert for a trainee reporters’ scheme run by the BBC. This opportunity led to a successful career as a reporter, presenter and producer on various programmes across regional BBC radio and TV.

Like most of us, I’d been led to believe that it was the only option. I’d accepted it as the path I would take, and I didn’t question it. That all changed when I became semi-retired at the age of 52, after being diagnosed with a bone tumour. There were a lot of laughs over Zoom. I have known the six people on the call since we were all teenagers. There is something special about meeting up with old friends.

The four steps of D.A.R.E. are Discover, Assimilate, Rewire, and Expand. The method requires you to summon courage to emerge from your comfort zone of retirement to embark on a new journey. It will give you the knowledge, the psychology, the strategy and the tools you need to make positive changes. Here’s what each step entails: Discover what retirement is and what it’s definitely not

Shifting gears

By assimilating this new understanding of how our mind works, we can change our present by creating new thoughts. And as we are emotional addicts, we can replace our past memories by imagining a new future, a new purpose, a new life. Rewire your beliefs by learning how to use your subconscious mind Mental Health Nurse John-Barry Waldron is our guest on this week's Reach Out PodcastJohn-Barry works in a secure hospital, supporting people experiencing mental illness and helping them return home to their communities.He's also capturing the stories of staff and patients through the On The Ward Podcast which you can also get wherever you get your podcasts.Also in the conversation - We discuss access to mental health services, and how stigma still bring issues for patients and their families. Camarados puts people in charge of their own solutions through Mutual Aid – helping people who are not necessarily friends to self-organise to support each other through tough times. The main focus right now for the movement is to see communities set up Public Living rooms – a place to go on a tough day or when you’re lonely to help others and get connection and purpose. It wasn’t all sitting in doorways drinking lager with a dog on a string’: Mark Jordan. Photograph: Perou/The Observer There's a point in this deep and compelling story where Rosen says he felt as if he were observing the conversation he's describing from the third person perspective. And that's how reading this superbly written tome hit me; I felt as if I were in every scene with him, a silent and invisible, yet viscerally present witness to the depths of darkness and depravity of a life of crime and addiction, but also right alongside Rosen as he experiences a sublime spiritual awakening and begins the lifelong journey of accepting, understanding, and loving himself. This is one man's story of adventure, misadventure, suffering, redemption, and ultimately, finding meaning in the sometimes painfully ugly, sometimes divinely beautiful, but always interesting and exciting world which he (and indeed, we) inhabit. I'm looking forward to reading more from this talented, insightful, and wise gentleman. Bravo, Mr. Rosen, BRAVO!!! - Martin Munro - Artist New York

That is always a hard question as my mistakes have brought me to where I am now as much (if not more) than my good choices. I wish I had learned guitar as a child because it is so much harder to start from scratch now – I am struggling with that, although the band I am in is very supportive.Camerados is a new social movement of people going through tough times who through mutual aid want people to get the two essentials: Connection and Purpose. Maff and his colleagues set up Camerados in 2015 to work with and support people who the existing system have failed. With a global reach from the UK to the USA, Camerados is working in locations as diverse as colleges, prisons, hospitals, libraries, football stadia. I do some voluntary work with the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK, supporting their social media campaign for 15 minutes a day. I also hope to work with the students in Southampton University. I have just been appointed a Professor of Practice there and I hope to be able to use my experience to inspire the next generation. But above all, Siobhan’s experiences on the road have taught her new life lessons – and reminded her of some of the older ones. “I do miss catching up with friends, but I don’t get lonely,” she says. “I’ve learned to live in the moment again – taking time to listen to the birds and watch the clouds. That’s something we all do when we’re young, but I hadn’t done it for 40 years.” The ‘honeymoon period’ lasted about a year. All that freedom! But then I felt like my life was starting to slow down. Time dragged, and I ceased to flourish, both mentally and physically. And that’s when I realised the idea that retirement is good for us might just be a myth. So, I decided to investigate further.