Julie came to the Essex Day Programme (SHARP) after a 20-year battle with alcohol addiction. She’d tried everything: private residential stays, medicated detox, counselling, group workshops, and fellowships, but nothing was working.
“I was at my wits end, thinking: What else could I do to save my life? Was this to be my destiny? I felt like I was stuck in my rock bottom, and it was a living nightmare.”
Julie self-referred to a partner agency of Forward and was assigned a support worker who walked her through the various stages she needed to achieve to be considered for a place in SHARP.
Attending online groups, Julie went through another medical detox, and shortly after, she started at SHARP. Filled with anxiety and trepidation, she went with an open mind to begin the eight week-day rehabilitation programme.
Julie found SHARP tough initially:
“I was propelled into group workshops, which explored subjects that challenged me, group therapy which delved into the thinking behind my addiction and the daily obstacles that I faced.
“My life was turned upside down and it was exhausting. But I didn’t give up. I learnt to overcome my crippling anxiety; I saw ways to get through problems without running away or drinking.
“I admitted I was powerless and started to listen to the advice and experiences of the professionals and my peers, and slowly I saw the similarities in others and found my first glimmer of hope. With my commitment and courage, SHARP changed my life.”
Julie graduated with 100% attendance – something she would have never once thought was possible - and it became one of her proudest achievements, ever.
After leaving SHARP, she continued to work hard to use all the tools she had been given. She reconnected with her family and maintained strong relationships with the people she had worked with.
In the year that followed, Julie trained to become a volunteer and gave back to the programme. She’s now started a counselling course to help others even more.
“Wherever you are, whoever you are, however lost you feel in addiction, SHARP showed me that real recovery is possible, and I am forever indebted to the programme for opening the door to this wonderful new chapter of my life.”
