After living with substance abuse and sleeping rough on the streets of Coventry, Andy was helped by The Salvation Army's Harnall Lifehouse, a Salvation Army hostel.
“I was nine years old when I started drinking with a friend…Everything I’ve done; I’ve always messed up because of drinking”.
Andy’s life began to unravel as he became more dependent on alcohol. He was sacked from his job, he split from his wife 10 years ago and started asking friends if he could sleep on their sofas or use other spaces such as a caravan. Andy then stayed at most hostels in Coventry, including our local Lifehouse, close to the city centre.
Andy was fed up with how things kept being, ‘messed up’ by his choices to drink, throughout his life he said: “This is it! I’m finishing with drink”, but he always came back to drinking. However, by 2017, he was absolutely determined that drink would not take a hold, like it had done previously.
That was a year ago and Andy hasn’t touched any drink since. Andy was so determined, that he went through detox on his own in the Lifehouse. Our staff were concerned about the effects the detox was having on him and so helped him to get help from the NHS. While doing the detox at the Lifehouse, staff allocated Andy a quiet room in a place called the ‘high dependency unit’ where staff could keep an eye on him and he could have some space to get over the withdrawal symptoms.
Now, having gone through the detox and needing something to do, Andy grabbed the opportunity to volunteer at the café in our local church.
Andy said: “When I look at my life now, I think, I come here [the café] to give something back to the community, the people who have helped me over the years. It’s not like working; I come here and get on with everyone. I love the people that come here, they are like family. They are just enjoying their lives”.
When he talks of the future, he hopes for peace in his life and somewhere peaceful to live, “somewhere I’ll be content”.
To find out more about The Salvation Army go to www.salvationar...
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