Becky tells her story and speaks about the support she has received from organisations like Narcotics Anonymous/NA, Open Door, Beacon, CGL and others. She talks about how volunteering helped her but also caused heartbreak when it stopped in COVID and how past trauma affected her.

Rebecca, I'm so excited to see you again. Really nice. So, um, I don't know actually where you're originally from. No, um, I was born and raised in Birmingham, um, and

I, um, stayed in the Cotswolds for a little bit with my mum's friend because she had her own, um, diamond milling business, um, in, um, the jewellery quarter in Hockley, Birmingham. Um, and then when I was 11. Me and my mum um moved up to Marple originally because my auntie lived up there

It was Ha green near the mill. And then when I was about 12. At 1215, I moved to Brinington with my mum on Middlesex Road

And you've stayed here ever since. Pretty much, yeah I hadn't realised. Yeah

So what's life like? I've not seen you for ages. What's life like for you at the moment? It's, it's a lot more positive than it has been a long time. Um, I go to church a lot, um, and I do lots of volunteering, not as much as I was doing, but I did knock myself out a bit too much with doing too much

Um, I, um, started going to Narcotics Anonymous last uh early last year, and that's helped me, um. Not just remain abstinent, but um it's helped me be able to, Um, live life on life's terms and, um, and cope with everyday things and the big things as well, and it's also given me, um, it's taken away the isolation that I was having a lot, and, you know, um, everyone's really supportive in that, so I really enjoy it, um, my meetings and, and my groups and stuff. This is sort of your default like when life is

Too difficult? Do you just withdraw or? Yeah, yeah, I've always had trouble with, with going out, um. And the past year it's, it's been. It's, I've come on in leaps and bounds a lot really, um

Um, yeah, and it's given me, um, a lot more people skills, um, managing my expectations and my, um, fears and stuff like that. Um, and dealing with problems and stuff, um, in a much positive way with, with, um, the help and guidance of like, people in NA and my sponsor. Do, do, you know, I didn't know that because I've always seen you as, you know, just very outgoing

So I, I'm really sorry I never realised that you struggled. Oh. Yeah, I've always suffered from um major mental health problems ever since I was very little, um

You know, there's a lot of um bad stuff that's gone on in my life and stuff, um. But yeah, um. So I just try to um do that the best I can for today, um

And, you know, NA has really helped me with my confidence and building healthy relationships and putting in healthy boundaries as well, cause I didn't have anything like that before. So it's really quite amazing of all the good things, not just, you know, keep it staying abstinent. Um, it's helped me

Develop myself and get to know who I am really, and, and to be accepted as, as well. Do you mind me asking what made you go and seek help? Um, I ended up turning to alcohol and drugs, um, and I've always sort of been a bit of a mad partier and stuff, um, from very, very early on. Um, and being around people who

Weren't the best for me, but at the time it was like survival mode sort of. Um, But yeah, um, when I um lost my volunteering role, um, with my crash at church because of the COVID and her, um, during the COVID, no one else was appointed to be the ESOL um worker for the refugee people, so I lost my um. Um, my, um, I lost doing that and because of the loss of my daughter being adopted because of mental health and because I didn't have any support systems, um

You know, it hit me like a tonne of bricks, basically, um, and then we bubbled with somebody who, We knew was like um a functioning alcoholic, but we didn't realise that he did other things and. With my head being all over the place and it was almost like losing my daughter again when I lost my crash, and my routine and stuff like that, my. Um, Ended up, you know, picking up and using drugs and, you know, that just, and being around people who also did that and they weren't

You know, they weren't friends, if you know what I mean, they were just users and I've gone through periods of time of, of that throughout my life where I've had like people who made out to be friends but who have just been users, um. And You know, um. I ended up, you know, with a, with a really bad habit trying to um

Um, to bury reality, basically, and the pain I was feeling, you know, um. And just being lost, basically, and I got sucked into it. Um, but if you go, going to NA and stuff like that, and, and doing stuff at, um, CGL, um, CGL helped me a lot with a lot of the mental problems cause a lot of things came up and a lot of bad things happened as well

Um, so how did you get help? Um, I was you or did you go out and find help? Um, I went out and found help through open door and um. Yeah, I basically walked in in a hysterical mess and said, I need your help. Um, because I broke down in Stockport and it was a mess

So, um, they, they helped me, and they also helped, um, get me signpost, uh, through the SAT team. And that's when I was doing, like, a lot of courses at CGL, which helped a lot, but I needed a lot more. Um, As well as my um weekly appointment with, with Lexi, she was amazing, and it was a lot of the trauma, you know, stuff about my daughter, my mum and

A few things that Happened, you know, that had come up to the surface. Um, I also got help from, um, Beacon, um, counselling. Um, which they, they took me on for a lot longer than they should have because I was just in such a bad mess, and I tried to get in touch with Stockport mind but

Because they had all their funding removed and it went to somebody else, um. I couldn't get help. How did you know about open doors? Um I think somebody from Stockport Mine told me about it

Um, so, yeah, yeah, um, because I was always under stopport mind ever since before I lost my daughter. Um, and they helped me massively. And then when it all got changed

Um, and some other company, um, took over. It was, there's no point doing it, you know, because it just. The level of care wasn't there

Um, they didn't really know what they were doing, um. I can't remember what the name was, but they, they'd got the funding instead and were having a go at mental health, which actually they're not mental health experts, but in some ways it led you to. Yeah, yeah

I mean, it did take me the long way round, um. And Open Door was amazing, um, and then when I started going CGL, that was amazing as well, and, and beacon, um. But through NA I've I've been able to

Not just um get clean, but I've also been able to get a really good support network around me, with people with mental health problems, physical problems and addiction problems, um, and also obsessive compulsive behaviours. um. And through their experience, you know, and strength, they've given, they gave me a lot of hope

And it was like, I wish I would have done NA, um, um. In infant school to prepare me for junior school and definitely in junior school to prepare me for secondary school. But of course, you know, things, things are just the way they are and I'm just glad that um I found it um early last year, um

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