Writing as a means of escape and of clarifying your own thoughts tends to dry up in adulthood.

Without the urge for outpourings of teenage angst or the free time, most people put their pens away.

The pleasure that can be achieved by creating something worthwhile is forgotten.

There are just 26 squiggles in the alphabet but by mixing and matching these in different ways, every conceivable notion and emotion can be conveyed.

Simply putting pen to paper or tapping away at a keyboard can produce enlightening results, even from someone who might not have written a sentence since school.

It is this talent that writers from The Trouser Press are hoping to tap into.

The group meets with people recovering from drugs and alcohol addictions and encourages them to use written words to express themselves and use their imaginations.

Although some were sceptical to start with, all the students on the course have found the experience rewarding and some of the results have been remarkable.

As well as increasing confidence, improvements have even been seen in people's health.

There is no guarantee that by picking up a pencil, you will immediately come up with a best seller. But you might find a better self.