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#BelieveInPeople

People are at the heart of everything we do. These are the real stories of the people we support, and the people who support them.

45 stories

Believe In People: K-Hole The Ketamine Documentary

Health "If I knew what I know now, I honestly don't think I would have taken it in the first place, and that's why going into schools is so important and educating doctors is so important"

Vicky written on a colourful background

Smoking "If you’re pregnant and worried about your smoking, give the service a call"

Mirela has a short black pixie cut and wears glasses

Smoking "I didn’t believe that I could do it. I thought I should go because I had been referred by a doctor, but I really surprised myself!"

Lisa is sitting on steps outside a yellow door

Recovery "The stigma, previously a barrier, was now my driving force"

Jon is wearing a Hawaiian shirt and has a moustache and beard

Recovery "My life has structure and purpose today"

Darren is wearing a grey jacket and has short light hair

Homelessness "I had to strip myself down emotionally to realise the reasons I used, and the effects it was having on the people around me."

Patrick is wearing a brown flatcap and has a short beard and mustache

Smoking "You guys don’t tell me to give up smoking, you encourage and help with ways to stop smoking instead."

Amy written on a colourful background

Mental health "I wanted to reclaim some power in my life, I wanted to give myself that gift of self-empowerment."

JV's Story

Detox/rehab "There is a place for me in society"

Friends and Family "It's really important to get the message out that Addiction affects everyone around you"

Johnny's Story

Recovery "I can't be defined by my past but I can be defined by who I am now and who I've become"

Scott's Story

Recovery "It was always about putting masks on, acting like I was somebody that I wasn’t"

Jane's Story: Family

Alcohol "I've managed to get my kids back in my life, they're egging me on now"

Jane's Story: The Secret

Alcohol "The secretive part of my drinking, I didn’t like that person at all. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know who to talk to"

Colourful background made up of overside quotation marks. In the centre is a polaroid photo of a man wearing a dark hoodie and a blue baseball cap. The name Paul is on the bottom of the polaroid.

Recovery "I am proud to be part of this service because it saved my life."

Colourful background made up of overside quotation marks. In the centre is a polaroid photo of a young man with short hair, a beard and moustache. The name Stewart is on the bottom of the polaroid.

Recovery "I started making connections outside of drinking and built friendships that I still have today."

Colourful background made up of overside quotation marks. In the centre is a polaroid photo of a bald man wearing glasses and a cream hoodie. The name Gavin is on the bottom of the polaroid.

Recovery "Everyone’s story is different, but the feelings - shame, fear, trauma, loneliness - are often the same."

Colourful background made up of overside quotation marks. In the centre is a polaroid photo of a young man wearing a black baseball cap and a back jumper. The name Lee is on the bottom of the polaroid.

Recovery "When I walked into Pathways, straight away I felt warmth and kindness from everyone. "

Colourful background made up of overside quotation marks. In the centre is a polaroid photo of a young woman with blonde hair, wearing a black beanie hat and grey fluffy jumper. The name Domi is on the bottom of the polaroid.

Recovery "I wasn’t a number or a case; I was Dominique. I’ll never forget that feeling."

Colourful background made up of overside quotation marks. In the centre is a polaroid photo of a woman with cropped blue hair, wearing a grey coat. The name Caroline is on the bottom of the polaroid.

Recovery "Recovery has shown me that people are so much more than what they’re struggling with."

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Recovery "Now my life matters to me"

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Recovery “If the change doesn’t come from yourself, you’re not going to change.”

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Recovery “I'm so much more productive and talented now”

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Recovery "The support available to veterans is immense, but awareness of it isn’t"

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Naloxone "If I didn’t do it, I knew he would die so I gave him two doses." - Owen's* story

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Recovery “My recovery will remain the thing I am most proud of for the rest of my life”

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Recovery “This is about saving lives, not ticking boxes.”

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Volunteer “However dark life has been, it doesn't have to be forever.”

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Recovery "My advice would be: don't be afraid. You need to put yourself first."

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Volunteer “Before recovery, I ripped a hole through this community. Volunteering was a way of giving back.”

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Staff “I came into this work as a volunteer and I’ve seen so much, but it’s helped me to be a stronger person.”

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Recovery "I had my first ever Christmas with no substances in my body, and I never thought I could live like that."

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Recovery “Recovery to me is like starting afresh. Like cogs in a wheel, the more cogs I add, the better it gets.”

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Recovery “My confidence is growing, and I am starting to have more faith in myself and be who I want to be.”

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Staff "I had given up on the dream of practicing medicine, but she instilled the confidence in me."

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Volunteer “My volunteer training ignited a passion in me that I had not felt before.”

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Recovery “My hopes for the future are to make life better for people in prison.”

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Volunteer “I feel that we all have it within ourselves to change another person’s life.”

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Recovery “My son has told all of his friends I'm in recovery. And he said it's because ‘I'm proud of you mum’.”

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Recovery “I am grateful for life, where before I didn’t care.”

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Staff “I guarantee every family in the country will know someone struggling with an addiction.”

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Staff “I don't even consider myself to be in recovery anymore. I’m just living life.”

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Volunteer “I’m not sure people realise how much it means to me – I haven’t quite figured it out myself yet.”

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Recovery “I believe no one is too broken– they just need to be believed in.”

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Recovery "My life now is just amazing. I like to class myself as a positive role model to those who are still lost."