About Joe

Joe was born in Oxford in 1944. During his teenage years he became addicted to drugs and promiscuous sex. Later he spent 13 years as a registered heroin addict, and went on to use both alcohol and prescribed drugs before finally breaking free of his addictions in 1981.

He went on to establish Rhoserchan, an addictions rehabilitation centre in Aberystwyth, with support from Diana Princess of Wales, and Sir Anthony Hopkins as a Patron.

Joe and Rhoserchan were the subject of ‘Nowhere Else to Go’, a documentary film in BBC2’s ‘Your Life in Their Hands’ series. He also made numerous radio broadcasts, tv appearances and wrote in various professional publications on the subject of recovery from addiction. Feeling unwell and tired Joe left Rhoserchan in 1997, health checks revealed he had Hepatitis C probably contracted in the 60s. Initial treatment was unsuccessful and Joe travelled in Central and South America.

In 2003 Joe and his partner Hilary moved to Asuncion, Paraguay, where they ran a guest house and Joe wrote Poppy Dream, the story of an English Addict.

Family tragedy brought them back to the UK in 2007 and Joe underwent new treatment for his Hepatitis C which appeared successful; but very sadly Joe died from primary liver cancer, caused by the hepatitis, in 2014.