I was born 40 years ago in West London - Ealing. I lived in W London nearly all my life.
When I was 14 the school decided that we should go our own ways so my Father started taking me to work with him. Dad was a groundworker so I naturally followed that course of work. It was while I was young that I started going to watch Chelsea play at home and I have supported them ever since. Although drinking and football went hand in hand I was not one of the bovver boys from the terraces.
When I was 18 I went to work for the Guinness Brewery in W London. The work was shift work and the money was marvellous - I was taking home over £320 a week when I was 23 years old.
However, the building industry was notorious for drinking especially on Fridays, and I was already drinking heavy when I went to Guinness. The foreman was a friend of the family so he covered me when I was late or missed a shift. After ten years the brewery shut down and I was made redundant. I got a payout of £30,000! That was in February, by May it had all gone on drink and drugs! The only good thing to come out of that is that I have a Guinness pension due to me when I retire. It's just as well I cannot get my hands on it - I would have drunk that as well!
I then went back to groundworking, and took training and City & Guilds in the Use of Lifting Machines - mostly transporters and cranes. I was still drinking heavy, so about ten years ago I went to rehab. I came out of there and was dry for three years.
When I came out of rehab I moved to Weston-super-Mare and worked for a chap who had about 60 fIats and a large number of caravans. We got on really well and he let me have one of the flats to live in. I started doing his maintenance and he taught me many jobs to help keep his business going.
However after three years I went back to London for the day, bumped into some mates had a drink and that was that! I never went back to Somerset and got back into my drinking ways again. I started work at Terminal Three, Heathrow airport, but after the job finished I was made redundant. My employers were reluctant to offer me a new job because I was drinking so much sometimes I only worked 3 or 4 days a week - I was unreliable.
I was living in a flat owned by my sister and she wanted to sell it and move up to Letchworth. She told me many times she was selling it and I had to move on, but I took no notice. So I then found myself homeless. I drank all day and at nights went to the Heathrow underground station and slept in there. How did I fund this drinking? Let's say I was getting up to all sorts of mischief!
I asked my sister if I could come up and live with her but she was reluctant for me to do that, so she found me a bed in the North Herts Sanctuary. I was still drinking heavy and it was quite chaotic in there. While there I met a lady from Drugsline who wanted to help me. She suggested I move to The Haven because it was open more hours and could offer more stability and help.
I now see Drugsline every day, reflexology, acupuncture, one to one counselling etc; I go swimming most days at Stevenage Pool as I get a reduced rate through the Haven, and I am on a Viewpoint course for 8 weeks.
Simon - Chris Foster House Resident