My recovery, my superpower.
We’ve talked a lot about the value of building a workforce of experts by lived experience. We’ve also spoken, at length, about the importance of volunteering, and how giving back can positively contribute to someone’s own recovery journey.
But what is the effect of speaking to someone with lived experience if you are on day one of your recovery journey?
For those who find even the thought of recovery impossible, how does talking to someone with similar experiences really make people feel?
Shared experiences of addiction
Lucy’s struggle with drugs and alcohol lasted many years. The turning point in her journey was accessing support where people had their own experiences of addiction and recovery.
“When I first went to the recovery service, I was so scared; I was shaking like a leaf, and I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I didn’t know what to expect, but when I explained why I was there, the support worker said: ‘Yeah, I’ve been there. I know what that’s like, and I am doing alright.’ Being with her gave me that little bit of hope that I could do it too.
“Talking to someone who understood where I was at meant I could admit to my fears about the future: would it be boring to live without the substances that had been part of my life for so long? Was it OK to feel like I was grieving for something I was giving up? It was so valuable to hear someone say “It’s OK. It’s alright to feel like that.”
Overcoming preconceptions of recovery
Lucy says that initially, she thought recovery was about soul searching, standing up in a room full of people, confessing your sins and atoning.
“I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life apologising, and I didn’t want to become critical of others. Talking to someone who had been through that stage helped me realise it wasn’t like that at all. Recovery was about finding my true self and realising I’m alright as I am. The people in recovery with me had no agenda, they were not judgemental, it was a safe space where people just wanted me to get well.
“When you are in the bottom of that pit you think the only way out is death. I’d never seen someone come out the other side, so to see people in recovery, happy and full of joy and laughter made me realise there was a chance for me.”
Reclaiming the past
Now five years sober, Lucy works as a Community Support Worker at Union Bank, the Emerging Futures recovery hub in Kirklees. She uses her own experiences to help others who are struggling and is living a life she never thought possible.
Based in a former pub, Lucy talks about the irony in people coming in for help when the venue used to be somewhere they drank or took drugs.
“People rediscover Union Bank as a place of hope, reclaiming the space where they had some destructive experiences. Now they can drop in for coffee, take part in a group, sit and chat and relax in a safe, healthy space with a feeling of normality, no pressure and no fear of judgement.”
The hub has worked for Lucy. “It’s been a hell of a journey. It’s been tough but I have loved every minute of it. It saved my life without a shadow of a doubt. I often say, rehab got me clean, but Union Bank got me sober.”
Reducing isolation
Lucy found that being with people with lived experience of drug and alcohol use has made a huge difference throughout her recovery journey. Not only when things were going well, but also with support when things didn’t work out.
Fear of judgement, and the stigma surrounding addiction leaves many isolated. But we feel less alone when we talk to people who have been through similar experiences. There is a sense of camaraderie, that we are all in it together. If somebody stumbles, then there is someone there to pick them up.
That’s why we truly believe in the value of lived experience in our workforce. When people who are struggling hear, “I’ve been there, I know what it’s like and I’m doing alright.”, it gives a true sense of hope that their own recovery is possible.
