My addiction started when I was 12 years old, with alcohol at first for many years. I knew I was different then from others; I was blacking out and they weren’t!
It progressed to drugs, including class A by the age of 15, which brought along a life of crime taking me in and out of jail for 20 years.
The turning point was hearing a person share their life experience in a recovery café within the prison. I identified in that moment that it was possible to break the cycle of drug addiction and crime.
I met a Change Grow Live recovery worker within the prison who recommended I came to the recovery service when I was released… and that’s what I did!
I attended a variety of different recovery activities like SMART, cafes, recovery Boxfit, and meeting with my 1 to 1 worker.
I was homeless and needed to make lifestyle changes, including ending friendships, which I was willing to do. The grief of losing loved ones was also a big part of my turning point. It was time to process it with a clear mind. I had support to identify my options on treatment and therapy. I went through a 12-week residential rehab programme, of which I’m now a peer support volunteer.
Following the programme, I continued to work with Change Grow Live and maintained my good daily routine, structure to my days, and found a purpose for my life. This has been crucial to my recovery.
I have now applied for college to do an Introduction to Counselling course, which I’m excited to start. Now I strive to help others turn their lives round by learning how to talk to people, guiding them through their painful periods of life and sharing my lived experiences. I know this will fill me with gratitude.
I want to share that “Recovery works, if you work it, and want it!”