Sarah's Story Two Years On
I'm Sarah and I am reading my first story from two years ago, so much has happened since I sat here and told how the Haven had helped me in my early months of my recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. I lived there for three months and I had constant support, and have been successful in my recovery.
When I had been clean for a while I decided that I wanted to become a social worker and to take the steps to get there, so I asked the Haven if I could do some voluntary work. It doesn't feel like work, I really enjoy it and it's the highlight of my week. The Haven is a special place to me. I see some of the residents and I can imagine how they may feel so I try to make them feel welcome and I am there to listen.
The Haven has been a constant support to me through my recovery, they gave me something and now I am giving it back. Even though I am not living there now they are still helping me to get my career up and running.
I also have a one-year-old daughter and am waiting to move in to a house with my boyfriend of three years. I've never been so happy in my whole life, now I have a wonderful job and a wonderful family and support from the Haven. Its worlds apart from where I was three years ago, totally dependant on drugs and alcohol, so alone and afraid.
I want to say thank you to all the staff at the Haven for the wonderful job they do, they have helped me and others like me and I am really grateful for that and glad I am apart of it.
Sarah' s Story Three Years On (August 2007)
I moved in to my new house with Pete and my two-year-old daughter, and we have just bought a puppy that is part of the family as well.
I'm still doing my voluntary job at the Haven and I'm also doing sessional shifts now as well, which I am really enjoying. I've been clean now for just over three years from alcohol and I still get ongoing support for that by attending regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
My work at the Haven reminds me every day of where I had come from with my addiction and its so fulfilling to be there for the residents especially the addicts because I know where they are coming from.
I have grown in confidence and self worth and I am still growing. My dreams are becoming a reality for me now, I believe we reap what we sow, I have put so much work in to my recovery and now I am getting the benefits.
I love coming to work at the Haven it really suits me and I'm going to build from this experience and use it to broaden my horizons of where I would want to go next and I think that may be working closer with addicts who want recovery.
When I first got clean I wanted to be a social worker because I wanted to change the world and the way the system was but I am realising I could if I wanted to but I have a family who are my world now and I would be just as happy working with addicts. There are many choices and options open to me now with were I want my life to lead, now I'm in control of my life. When I was heavily dependant on alcohol emotionally and physically I didn't realise what a hold it had on me because that's all I knew. I got sober because people told me that, if I did my life would get better even though at the time I didn't believe or want to believe that alcohol was the problem, I thought it was helping me deal with situations.
The way I feel now is 'yes I'm going to achieve good things in my life' but for me it's not about the destination of where I want to get to it's the journey. I'm glad I took these people's advice for once in my life because I now believe they were right. If it wasn't for the people who gave me support at the Haven and ongoing support and not forgetting the Living Room Recovery Centre I wouldn't be where I am now.
Sarah - Ex-Resident, Volunteer and Sessional Worker