The new book, published by the Burwood Academy of Independent Living, explores the personal journeys of six Kiwis in their stories of rehabilitation and recovery.

After leaving the Jehovah's Witness community he'd spent his entire life in, drugs and alcohol took over Christchurch man Roydon Gibbs' life.

His road to recovery has been immortalised in ink along with the stories of five other brave Kiwis in a new book, The Art of Recovery.

"Although at times I still experience feelings of fear, guilt, shame, loneliness, inadequacy and uselessness, they no longer dominate my life," Gibbs wrote in the book.

SUPPLIED The Burwood Academy of Independent Living team (BAIL) and some staff with 'Mataamua': Anne Sinnott, Dr Johnny Bourke, Dr Bernadette Cassidy, Arron Perriam, Andrew Hall, Jo Nunnerley, Robin Bisset, Mere Hibbs, Professor Gary Hooper and Kathy Duncan.

The book was published last month by the Burwood Academy of Independent Living (BAIL), based at Burwood Hospital.

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Alongside addiction, recovery from spinal injury, cancer and cerebral palsy were explored in the new book, which took ten years to complete.

SUPPLIED Roydon Gibbs reads his excerpt about his recovery from depression and addiction in The Art of Recovery at the Burwood Hospital book launch.

Only hours before his death, Christchurch-based professor Alan Clarke wrote a draft introduction to the book project. A medical professor and the executive director of the New Zealand Spinal Trust, Clarke wanted to explore the "Living Paradigm" underpinned by the BAIL group, by giving voice to personal stories of experience.

"Rehabilitation is about taking charge of ones return to full participation," Clarke's introduction read. "Rehabilitation can't be 'done to you'. It is not a treatment or a therapy. It is a learning process, educational not medical. One must set one's own goals and make sure one gets there."

Patients told their stories of recovery in their own words, acting as an opportunity for readers to step into the rehabilitation process through the eyes of those who lived it.

Shane Thrower shared his battle with testicular cancer and a brain injury in the book. He'd met Clarke several times when the idea of the book was first mentioned.

"Alan was very interested to hear my story and how I was leading my recovery with the support of my family and friends," he said.

"We talked about how the medical professionals were only one of the tools to our recovery and that ultimately I was the one leading my recovery."

He said he was happy to be a part of the book project if sharing his story could help others with their recovery or help health staff in dealing with patients.

Co-editor Carolyn Beaver said the book will appeal to people in all forms of recovery and to health professionals with an interest in rehabilitation.