Recovery Stories - Owen

It just crept up on me.

I left my job to go back to study when I was in my 30s. I was also working at three jobs to pay the bills in addition to volunteering. I think the pressure of holding it all down made me drink more.

I was living alone and wasn't seeing much of my family. I lived less and less of a structured life, and after three years of a gradual downward spiral I was drinking at least three bottles of red wine a night.

At age 35 I had a car crash when I was over the limit. I realised I was an alcoholic. I tried to stop using alcohol but I struggled to remove the one thing I used to support myself through life. I went into three years of mayhem. Hospitals, police cells & court appearances. I got much, much worse. I would wake up and start drinking straight away and go on for the rest of the day.

My family was really worried and did everything they could to support me. Throughout all this chaos I somehow managed to complete my master’s degree in International Politics and I kept working as best I could, however it became untenable. I resigned from my job and tried getting into recovery on a number of occasions, but none of it worked. I ended up alone in a bedsit riddled with anxiety, bereft of hope, and on the verge of giving up altogether.

Deep down I knew that I wanted to quit. I had tried so many times. I actually didn’t think it was going to be possible.

My sister found out about River Garden and, after one month of sobriety, I became a resident in the Summer of 2019.

My journey at RGA has been incredible; from the challenges of the early days, the nervousness as I formed new relationships, compounded by low self-esteem. It was not easy. The people here have been a huge part of my journey, they understand me and have many similar experiences, including staff. We grow and learn and work together.

Now I’m almost at the end of my three years. Since December 2021, I’ve been employed as a Residential Peer Worker and I will shortly move into a flat in the local area.  I am dedicated to continuing as a Peer Worker at River Garden and helping to shape the project into the future.

I never think about wanting a drink. RGA has given me a sense of purpose. I am part of something much bigger than myself. From the first day I was here, I bought into it. I love it. I mentor people now. It's meaningful. I am no longer thinking about just my own progress, I am thinking about the progress of the whole RGA community.