“We don’t set out to be bad people. It’s just that addiction… and what goes on in our heads… It takes over.”
“This is where I would sleep, on this bench here, for days a time. On me own. I never got lonely as I had the drink”
Colin has been an alcoholic for over forty years of his life. His days consisted of stealing from his family to buy beer, drinking in parks and sleeping it off on benches. He would journey to seaside towns in the area to avoid being recognised by friends and family. An unfortunate incident that happened to someone he cared about, provided the necessary wake up call to finally stop drinking and turn his life around.
“I want to travel and see things, but most of all I want to find a job. It’s a journey, and I am excited if a little scared about where it will take me”.
Colin has now been sober for more than 6 months. He is slowly reconnecting with his family, and spent last Christmas with his wife.
He is also starting to see the range of possibilities available to him.
If Colin’s story has touched you, let him know.
Take 2 minutes to send Colin a message.
Here are the insights that relate to Colin’s story:
Coping with love, rejection & trauma
Unaddressed childhood trauma and rejection from a loved one, linked with a lack of support to cope with this trauma are often at the source of many of the issues people experience later in life. Access to therapeutic support is key.
For a more in-depth insight, read these stories and blog posts:
Lizz Zeb Natasha Tex Martin Karen Stuart Colin
Coping with love and rejection Society’s expectations of you shape you
Change: “the hardest thing you’ll have to do in your life.”
Acknowledging traumas and learning to be vulnerable are part of the recovery journey. It can be challenging to adapt to a “stable” life, especially when it means giving up on old relationships and environments, or when people then have to face universal services that don’t recognise how far they have come. We need to recognise that recovery is a journey, not just a step.
For a more in-depth insight, read these stories and blog posts:
Lizz Zeb Natasha Tex Martin Karen Lee Colin
Building a new me – Part 1 Building a new me – Part 2
Recovery is a social journey
Experiencing addiction, abuse or homelessness can be very isolating, and people experiencing those issues have often had to follow their own independent path from a young age. The system sometimes reinforces people’s isolation and sense that it is all their fault, while the circumstances they are in are in fact the result of a set of interdependent relationships. We need to support people to build positive relationships and social networks, and to be part of “recovery communities.”
For a more in-depth insight, read these stories and blog posts:
Lizz Tex Martin Lee Colin
Hard Edges: the lives behind the numbers 
2 Comments
This is a test response to see if your system works. I am struggling to discern the words in the videos Lizz and Colin. I wonder if it would be too much work to add sub-titles?
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Hi George – thanks for your email. Certainly, I’ll pass on your comments to the team; should be fine to update. Thanks.
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