Michael's Story

I was delighted when asked to write a few words about my stay here at Friends First or No 60 as I affectionately call it. I am not sure whether it seems a lifetime ago or just twelve months since I first walked through the door, but what I do know is that my being has changed beyond recognition and I now have a contentment and vigour for life beyond my wildest dreams.

I came to Brighton from London in 2004 for treatment for alcohol and occasional substance dependency. My life was in shreds, alcohol had taken from me everything that I held dear. My job which I adored and had worked at for 18 years, my partner, my home and my esteem were all taken from me by my addiction. I was in huge debt and I had sold my home to repay my creditors. I remember very little of my last weeks in London, but I was told that I became so ill that I was taken to the Mayday Hospital in Croydon where I detoxed before being brought to Brighton. I did eight months in a rehab here and returned to London only to drink again within two weeks of arriving home. All the horrors of active addiction came flooding back and within no time at all I was in a far worse condition than before.

I somehow found my way back to Brighton, believing that I would recover if only I stayed here and didn’t return to my old haunts and ways in London. I found a small flat and moved in but I continued to drink until I almost drank myself to death. I didn’t want to live, I could see no reason to exist and I took a number of overdoses in a desperate attempt to put to sleep the pain of living. 

The last few weeks in that flat are but foggy memories blurred by the continued use of alcohol but somehow, I do not remember exactly how, I made contact with dear Lesley who works for Brighton Council and who I later found out worked at No 60. Lesley visited me weekly and unfailingly at my flat and recognised that I needed supported housing to help me recover and she was instigative in getting me housed at Friends First.

And so on the 26th September 2005 I moved in. I remember so clearly the welcome smiles and kind words that greeted me from the staff members when I arrived. I was of course frightened and concerned, alone and afraid but the warmth that I felt in the house helped me to feel at ease very quickly. I was assigned a keyworker he and I bonded from the very beginning and we now have a wonderful relationship. He and I worked on a support plan and I am so happy to say that I have managed to achieve all of the goals that were set in those early days. The perfect mix of gentle encouragement and guidance has allowed me to work on those areas in my life that needed attention and to address practical issues that have caused me concern. My 12 Step recovery program with Cocaine Anonymous is very stable and I enjoy the camaraderie that I get from the fellowship. I am so happy to say that I am now 12 months clean of alcohol and drugs.

There is little doubt that Friends First has saved my life. I know that is a sweeping statement but it is also absolutely true. I would not have survived much longer as I was.

The house has allowed me to step back from all of my problems and has then helped me to address and untangle them one at a time in a caring and supportive environment. The staff work unceasingly to give all of us residents the tools and the confidence that we will need to allow us to live without help when our stay here is finally over.

Time here is short, a maximum of eighteen months, and goes very quickly. It has been important to me to make the most of this unique opportunity. So much is on offer here to help us prepare to live independently when we leave.

I have a great job now and I do a little voluntary work at the weekend. My days are so very full now with wonderful things, life is good….very, very good.

The future is exciting, sometimes scary, but I know that I am in good hands now, I am in the hands of God. He has not let me down in the past and I know that He will not let me down in the future.