Joe South was born in Oxford in 1944. During his teenage years he became addicted to drugs and sex. He spent 13 years as a registered heroin addict. After breaking free of his addiction in 1981, he went on to establish Rhoserchan,an addictions rehabilitation center in Aberystwyth.

He and Rhoserchan were the subject of Nowhere Else to Go, a documentary film in BBC2’s Your Life in Their Hands series. He has made numerous radio broadcasts, TV appearances and has written in various professional publications on the subject of recovery from addiction.

He lived in Asuncion, Paraguay for 4 years until 2007. He and his partner, Hilary, ran a guesthouse in the city and supported several projects addressing poverty. Currently they are living in Nottingham. UK.