Welcome to Winter 2025-2026 Hopezine!
Editor’s letter In this special winter edition, we’re focussing on beating addictions with tips from people who have stayed sober for good, to myself knocking a 40-a-day smoking habit on the head. Experts also share their tips on beating all kinds of addictions, and we’ve even discovered beautiful necklaces to help you quit smoking or […]
ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL: The Magic of Marrakesh
By Paul Nicholls I’m Paul Nicholls, and Marrakesh was one of the most memorable trips I’ve taken as a wheelchair user. The city is a whirlwind of colours, sounds, and scents, and navigating it with wheels brings both challenges and unexpected joys. The highlight of my stay was the Park Hyatt Marrakech. From the moment […]
ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL: Park Hyatt Marrakech
By Erica Crompton I appreciate colour blocking and adored the Park Hyatt Marrakech’s architecture this winter. The exteriors are all pink-hued walls, off-set by my verdant green and fuchsia roses and tall palm trees smiling at the skies. And this blue sky makes this scene look even more remarkable. At night, as the sunsets over […]
Craigatin House & Courtyard
By Erica Crompton A stone’s throw from all the action at The Enchanted Forest and set on the fringes of Pitlochry’s lively-yet-quaint grey stone village, finding The Craigatin House & Courtyard is like discovering hidden treasure. Amid pine trees, red-spotted toadstools and a backdrop of Scotland’s most majestic mountains, lies this grey stone house for […]
Vape it to make it!
By Erica Crompton Apart from being the only one at parties reeking of cigarettes, I was beginning to encounter some real health issues caused by what had become a 40-a-day habit. My teeth were loose, I’d recently had a molar removed and my dentist informed me, if I continued smoking I’d have no teeth left […]
I beat drinking to become a personal trainer
By Paul Tomkins The warning signs were there early. Growing up in an alcoholic household, I started drinking at 14. It seemed to give me confidence I didn’t naturally have – socialising without it was impossible. But it was also escapism, and I’d drink to blackout throughout my teens. Alcohol became my master. A turning […]
How Breathwork Can Help with Addiction Through the UK Winter
By Wellness coach, forest bathing expert and children’s author Nigel Grimes Winter can make addiction recovery more challenging. Shorter days, limited sunlight and colder weather often increase isolation, low mood and anxiety, all of which can heighten relapse risk. During this period, breathwork offers a simple but powerful way to maintain emotional balance, reduce stress […]
Gaming Addiction: How Young Men Lose Control and How They Get It Back
By Lee Hawker, Clinical Programs Director, The Edge Gaming has become one of the dominant global pastimes for young men, and for many it’s a healthy outlet. But for others, it slowly becomes the organizing principle of their lives. By the time they arrive at The Edge, they’re not “lazy” or “unmotivated”, they’re trapped in a […]
Finding light in the smallest things
By Omorogieva Sylvester Ihonwa Some days, it only takes a cup of tea to save you. There was nothing special about that Tuesday. The Lagos sky was steel-grey, and my neighbour’s generator rattled like a grumpy beast. I’d been counting my sober days on a scrap of receipt tapes to the fridge, making little tally […]
From the Pit to Freedom
By Derek Slayter I didn’t wake up one day and decide to destroy my life. It started small—just smoking pot with friends in high school. It felt harmless, like just being part of the group. But small compromises became a pattern, and that pattern grew into a path I never meant to walk. Pills came […]