John Elford

Advanced Addictions Practitioner

John Elford is an Advanced Addictions Practitioner, author, and educator with more than 20 years’ experience working in detox, recovery, behavioural change, and long-term wellbeing. He is the founder and Director of Get Into Recovery and is also the owner of Somerton Lodge, a recovery centre on the Isle of Wight focused on detox support, stabilisation, and structured recovery.
 
Over the past two decades, John has worked across a wide range of recovery settings, helping to develop recovery-focused programmes, training resources, workshops, and support pathways. His work combines lived experience, behavioural science, trauma-informed approaches, and practical recovery principles, with a strong emphasis on sustainable long-term change.
 
John has authored multiple books and recovery resources covering addiction, emotional wellbeing, behavioural change, and recovery education. His publications have sold more than 30,000 copies worldwide and have been used by individuals, treatment providers, hospitals, and recovery communities in the UK and internationally.
 
His work is recognised for making complex recovery concepts practical, accessible, and grounded in real-world experience.
 
Throughout his career, John has held a number of recognised recovery leadership and advisory roles. He served as the UK Liaison for the USA's Willingway Foundation, was a board member of Faces & Voices of Recovery UK, and has also served on the advisory council for Recovery Africa. His work has included collaboration with treatment providers, recovery organisations, and community projects both in the UK and internationally.
 
His current work focuses on developing modern recovery resources, educational platforms, wellbeing tools, and structured recovery frameworks designed to help people build meaningful and lasting change.