Meet Kieron

Kieron grew up and lives in the Forest of Dean. He is on the Foundations of Change programme with Change Grow Live in Gloucester.
 

I started out with smoking cannabis at 14 years old, by 17 I was regularly taking coke.”

The years that followed saw Kieron’s drug-taking move from socially taking coke and pills to smoking crack and using heroin. He went from a hard-working lad running his own scaffolding business, to someone in and out of prison, drinking every day and addicted to heroin.

“The first time I rattled, I realised I was in deeper than I thought” explains Kieron about the moment he knew he had a problem.

“The help with addiction inside was pretty poor, like you’d see a nurse, but no one really cared about you”

Once out of prison, Kieron reached out to Change Grow Live for support. He started to come to weekly group sessions designed to help deal with drug and alcohol addiction recovery. This is called the Foundations of Change programme. Kieron’s navigator, John, explains:

“We offer help and support to anyone wanting to change their relationship with drugs and alcohol. Our Foundations of Change programme is about making the changes needed psychologically to change your life. This sits alongside our clinical support where we can prescribe medication to help with your addiction.”

At a real low point, Kieron weighed just 8.5 stone. His mum and dad were convinced they had lost their son to drugs. He explains, “This hasn’t been an easy journey. I still have dark days, I battle depression and a lot of regret about what I have put my mum, dad and other people through. After 16 years of drugs, heroin took over…it became the comfort that I needed and turned to time and time again…if I felt scared, sad or even happy. It was my everything.”

Kieron takes each day as it comes. He still attends weekly group sessions with Change Grow Live and takes 16mg of Espranor each day. Next month he will be going into a three-month detox rehabilitation. This will be a residential clinic to give him all the care and support he needs to come off the final daily dose of Espranor. He passionately wants to give something back and is applying to volunteer with Change Grow Live. He is also studying with Restore Trust to become a counsellor.

I am 82 days sober and off of drugs today. My own knowledge, experience and my children will keep me from being trapped in that cycle again.”
 

Kieron is now back together with the mother of his children, aged 14, 8 and 6 years. He is buzzing with pride at having recently attended one of his children’s parents’ evenings and is looking forward to seeing his youngest perform as a ‘star’ in their upcoming Christmas show.

“It’s a case of keep looking forward and make new memories.”

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