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Ashley Grant came to be involved in peer support through her own journey of addiction and recovery. Following 10 years of heroin addiction, Ashley engaged with and took up peer support worker roles for recovery groups across Aberdeen City and Shire. Ashley’s peer support work promotes acceptance, integration and inclusion, empowering people to recognise who they are and build on their skills and strengths to overcome addiction. Ashley has recently started new work on the uptake of national standards for safe, accessible, quality drug treatment in Scotland.
This podcast series shares community empowerment experiences from peer supporters working with Turning Point Scotland in Aberdeenshire helping communities dealing with alcohol and drug problems. Practitioners and peer support workers share how they have used their personal experiences to help at-risk groups supporting recovery from addiction through processes of connection and compassion.
Communities play critical roles in public health. The active participation of communities in health services has long been recognised as a pro-equity approach enhancing legitimacy and acceptability of decisions, and furthering trust in public institutions. Community empowerment can complement health systems responses, address health inequalities, and build future resilience.
The pandemic severed many, critical links between service users and providers, however, and put extraordinary demands on existing services. There is lack of trust within and between experts, institutions, health care workers, and population groups, who experienced significant impacts. In this scenario, support mechanisms enabling connection and trust relationships require urgent attention.
Despite support, there is a lack of practical guidance on how to ‘do’ community engagement and empowerment, especially in the settings and for the populations most severely affected. While health systems are committed to tackling inequalities, connecting with people living with complex lives and needs is highly challenging.
Peer support is the process of giving and receiving nonprofessional, nonclinical assistance from individuals with similar conditions or circumstances to achieve long-term recovery from psychiatric, alcohol, and/or other drug-related problems (Tracey and Wallace, 2016). Turning Point Scotland (TPS) provides an established community service bringing together people with shared experiences in safe spaces of connection and compassion.
The series is hosted by Dr Lucia D’Ambruoso from the Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science within the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition.
Speaker 1 [00:00:03] Okay. So we're here at the Turning Point Scotland office up in Bath. It's a lovely day up here today. And we're with Ashley this morning who's a peer support worker at Turning Point Scotland in there in their office. And Ashley has kindly agreed to to talk to us about her experience of being a peer support worker and her journey to be in one. We're generally so welcome.
Speaker 2 [00:00:32] Ashley, thank you.
Speaker 1 [00:00:33] For coming along today. It's nice to see you again.
Speaker 2 [00:00:36] You're welcome.
Speaker 1 [00:00:38] Yes. So tell me a bit about your journey. How did you come come to turning point and how did you end up being a peer support worker?
Speaker 2 [00:00:46] Okay. My story and I have to go back quite a few years now and I will say I am 41 years old at present. And we both take you back to I had my daughter when I was age 16, became pregnant when I was 16. The mother was still 16. And so, yeah, like I was a bit of a bit of a unruly child through every growing up, you know, undiagnosed ADHD. It was but mischievous and like to hang around with the boys and duplicate things. And so yeah. Okay, now came the you. I was a bit of a girly girl who came growing up and like to say I had my daughter is 16, I was in a relationship with her dad and we were actually in a relationship for 17 years. And but unfortunately, at the age of 21 and I found myself. In a flat one night and some people were smoking heroin through in the kitchen. So my natural, inquisitive, oh, what's this? I'm going to have some of this. Even so, I was told, no, you shouldn't. I cheat. And this is. My reasoning, and I've always said the reason that I took heroin was because I had the idea of I can do what I want and nobody's going to tell me what I can and can't do. And that was my reason for taking it. And looking back, it was it's just madness. But that was my my green light to for me to say, it's okay. You can do this because no one can tell you what you can and can't do.
Speaker 1 [00:02:36] What you're thinking.
Speaker 2 [00:02:37] That was my attitude at the time.
Speaker 1 [00:02:39] I think a lot of us youngsters feel good, indestructible and don't value.
Speaker 2 [00:02:44] Exactly what it was. It was a total rebellion thing and it was, I will smoke this. Nobody's going to tell me what kind of current do. And so I'm negative. There was no trauma or anything like I can see. It led me to getting into heroin. It was a pure fuck of, I can do what I want. No one's going to tell me what I can't do. So because.
Speaker 1 [00:03:10] You hear a lot about.
Speaker 2 [00:03:12] How people go into.
Speaker 1 [00:03:13] It. Self-medicating definitely sounds like it wasn't the case.
Speaker 2 [00:03:17] It wasn't the case at all. It was just was in a house one night a day. Opportunity was there. And, you know, even though people within the house did tell me not to and like I say, my attitude was, I can do what I want. And I'm 21 years old, you know, and full of experience and full of life. At 21 years old, I had no clue. And I was so naive. I had no I actually didn't even know how much physically addicted you could get to heroin. I actually had no clue about the physical, physical withdrawals or anything. So very quickly I got to realise the very quickly was in a few, a couple of days of actually smoking it and I did actually find myself, I had to hop it because I was very, very unwell when I did not have this heroin.
Speaker 1 [00:04:10] Just me in a couple of days.
Speaker 2 [00:04:11] Within a few days of constantly smoking it for a few days then then one of the days that didn't have any, I was very aware of what's wrong with me and very quickly realised that if I went and smoked a pair of heroin I would suddenly feel a lot better. So that's the K now that was my step way into it. That very gradually, yes, that I realised, oh, I'm walking out of smoke and I've not got it, I'm not feeling very well. Only go and get some very, very naive at the time. Early years, early twenties. So yes. And so I actually unfortunately proceeded for ten whole years, ten years that went on.
Speaker 1 [00:05:01] For I would have been a full year 20.
Speaker 2 [00:05:02] Year old in between is yet from 20 to 3132 and my life then consisted of having to halve heroin every single morning so I could function and I could never get a bed unless I knew I was going to get so I would stay in my bed until it organised. Perhaps going to get from a couldn't get up. I couldn't see my daughter, I couldn't do nothin physically. I couldn't wash. I, I thought, I think there was probably a time for I went months and months if even a year without washing because as a pure fact ever since it's in such a deep addiction. Getting washed was not a priority to me. To follow up in cold water on my body scared me to death because it instantly treatment and withdrawal. You know, it was to live living. I was basically I was a heroin addict for ten years. But I would say 99% of that time I was probably strung out, you know, and withdrawals because I didn't have the money to constantly keep this habit going. And so that actually led me into dealing heroin because that way I to sustain my own habit and also get money back in for another bit. That's what BET saw it for the next day. So I never set out to do that, but that's how I ended up becoming. So you're speaking like, well, at least eight years into my heroin addiction, that's when I turned to do you and to to keep my habit going. And so that involved a lot of police activity as well and redid my door with my house, was raided umpteen times and I was stopped in the car loads of times coming to and from over time and carrying drugs. I was just I was never actually caught with anything. And if I did have, I would have been in jail. And it might have actually been the end to my criminality and my addiction, maybe a little bit sooner. But I don't know. I had tried and failed multiple times on the methadone prescription, but in that time I was on my own and I was considered a CPA. And so I was having to pay and samples. I was lying, I was cheat and I was good. And there was other people samples. I was going in and tried to water down my wound sample so that I thought that it wouldn't be picked up. So obviously it was every time that box and if you tested positive for drugs, well, you were receiving your methadone prescription, you were kicked off your prescription for putting in three samples. And that was just the case with me umpteen times. You know, it was a crappy non 90 millimetres at all because I put in more than one dirty sample that was said you're off your medication. So very quickly I was taken off on late night emails, a methadone back to square one using the heroin, also craving to be back on a message. Transcript because I didn't want that life, you know, and it was just very costly to all the time. And so I did try and feel a lot of times on the methadone prescription. I have to say at the time that was the only alternative. That was the only alternative in. It was available to help people in. And their addiction.
Speaker 1 [00:08:47] So you've kind of had this horrendous time in your twenties for what perhaps is a bit of a young person's, maybe a bit juvenile in their foolish decision to try a drug at a party.
Speaker 2 [00:09:00] Very immature.
Speaker 1 [00:09:01] Very.
Speaker 2 [00:09:01] Quickly spiralled.
Speaker 1 [00:09:03] Into dependency and criminality.
Speaker 2 [00:09:05] Yes, I for whole ten years, they say the trauma, the guilt, the shame that I brought on myself, brought on the family. You know, it was not just me. I therefore involved my whole family in this. And I was you could see bombs, number one at or not, there is.
Speaker 1 [00:09:26] Huge consequences.
Speaker 2 [00:09:28] Consequences for my damaging family, you know, to be aware of this as well in a small time like both, it was was shameful.
Speaker 1 [00:09:37] And how did you break that cycle?
Speaker 2 [00:09:40] And what happened was and like I say, I tried and failed multiple times on my mental prescription. So you're talking now ten years into my addiction, ten years worth of suffering and hell for my daughter as well. You know, only my daughter in profits in this period, in social work were aware. Police were aware. Because my door was because my house was raided again for like I don't know I kind of non-parole the amount of times my house was obliterated. Social work become involved and rightly so. They say to me, if you don't stop what you're doing, your is getting taken away from you. And that was. What I needed to be told because the said not ten years. Yes, the police was, you know, but there was never no consequence. There was never knew. If you don't stop this, this is what's going to happen. That was never said to me. So therefore, I was I was always getting off with it and always doing it because it were never consequences of never.
Speaker 1 [00:10:52] And then here, come.
Speaker 2 [00:10:53] Here comes this.
Speaker 1 [00:10:55] This black distrofia gets.
Speaker 2 [00:10:58] If you don't stop what you're doing, your daughter's getting taken into care. And I honestly, as a mother, I would I was I had father from over 16. I was never, ever going to help in my daughter was never going to get taken away from me. I was never going to allow that to happen.
Speaker 1 [00:11:14] And so it sounds like that's the start of.
Speaker 2 [00:11:17] The U.S. are definitely in my focus for getting clean yes was my daughter and on that reason if I don't my is no longer going to be in my care. I could not I could not live as a mother with with that. So, yes, I did everything because those who were asked me for a move say children's panels. The children's panel were prison were praising me, saying, look, you're doing so well. So I knew like they weren't against me. They were working with me and so was good. So like my partner at the time, they closed thought and I could see we were in a 17 year relationship. So I was gave the opportunity then again for Ambassador, which I did and was successful that time. I am. And so I knew, right, I've got this chance again. This is my last chance. Basically I'm on the best to you could.
Speaker 1 [00:12:16] Feel the loss.
Speaker 2 [00:12:17] And I knew again and it was a relief, you know, it was a relief for me to be able to say, right, okay, this time, comedy, this time I've got everything in my power. Tell me do wanted to do it. And so, yeah, I had to set myself some goals and think, well, who are my, what do I want to do? Who do I aspire to be like? My, my grandpa, my grandad was just everything to me. He and he was a nursing assistant. He was a character he was opposed to. I mean, he wasn't a great he didn't have his title job. You know, he was on post there. He was from Glasgow. He moved up here to Navarre. He was then a nursing assistant. And just this whole character, I just I just looked on.
Speaker 1 [00:13:02] I can see him.
Speaker 2 [00:13:04] Yeah. And just a thought. No, he had obviously seen me being unwell as well within the town and stuff like that and he used to give me some money, but I again, it was like it was horrible because it was like, did I know he knew and things like that, you know. So so is.
Speaker 1 [00:13:23] He kind of part your motivation as things were started? Yes. Yes. And by to be like yes.
Speaker 2 [00:13:29] But unfortunately he passed away. So that gave me obviously more of a drive to see. Right. I'm going to show to him because actually he actually he was still alive. No, I'll just rewind a little by little bit, bug my focus. Therefore, when I go. When I go. You know that from the day the child was born on social work. If you don't stop what you're doing. So I knew I had to do something to say, Well, what? What can I do? What can I do? I need to work. I really need to work hard. I need to prove myself. I've had jobs in the past. I mean, I've always been a work crazy. I don't like not work. And I like to earn money perfectly well. Exactly. Just be normal. And so I knew I was say, well, nobody's going to employ me. Nobody. I knew that I was unemployable, basically. I knew that I was in Bournemouth and I thought, well, what can I do? What can I do? And I actually did go and apply for a job and I never got it. And the lady said. We appreciate your honesty, which was very honest with some of us. I was near the take and recovery and gave a so bear and I was looking for a job, was honest. And she says, look, she says if you will maybe next year in your recovery boot of two. She says, but I really appreciate your honesty. And she says, I think I may have someone that can help people simply. Would you be interested in doing volunteer work or volunteer work? I was like, Yes. Okay. So I volunteered in a coffee. And over the course of the summer and working into coffee, which is like bacon rolls and serving coffees and stuff like that. So I volunteered there for the course of the summer and I looked at them. There was actually a job coming up at the nursing home up it up at the top of the town. So I thought, right, I'm going to apply for a job at the nursing home. I really want to be a carer.
Speaker 1 [00:15:34] And we said, Do you like your suit with your beard?
Speaker 2 [00:15:38] No, he was still alive. I mean, you can still hear that. So. And the lady from did you know the coffee? She gave me a good reference. I went up to the nursing room. Obviously honesty. All of it I knew had to be honest. If I wasn't honest, I knew someone else was going to take great pleasure and single me to.
Speaker 1 [00:15:59] You to smoke. Yes.
Speaker 2 [00:16:01] Did you know she was. I had read book. Do you know who she is and what she is and what she's been? I knew our own age. I knew people are ready to jump in. And so I thought, I'm going to.
Speaker 1 [00:16:12] Get there first.
Speaker 2 [00:16:13] Get there first, be honest to talk to the boss, the lady, the there, the nursing home. My past two days explained her career was to get back, get into work, who knows? I just needed somebody to give me a chance. I explained that I had went for a job previously and she says, Has your past stopped you from getting a job? And this is. Yes, it has it. She looked at me. She says, Well, not here. It won't. And I was like, Oh my God. I was like, Thank you so much. So that lady that said that to me, not here at all. Like she gave me the chance. And I'll never, ever forget that I am that one person giving me that chance. I grabbed it and I tell you, I've never looked back because that was an opportunity that I probably might never have go again. So therefore, yes, she says, I'll give your child a couple of weeks. So I did my child, I got taken back into the office and I was told we've been heated with some very good things about you, Ashley. Okay. Could just say we would like to offer you a full time post, she says. But upstairs in the nursing unit, 24 hour care, everything you'd be suited for up there. It's like I have never been upstairs. Never. It was like 24 hour, 24 hour and care and also palliative care as well. And so yeah. And I went upstairs to work and actually worked up in the nursing home for like four years and got my speech you never seen up there. So yeah, my granddad, my granddad was still alive and I worked at the nursing home, but he did pass he did pass away at Christmas time and in December. And so that was yeah, that was a sad time. But I kept going, kept going and kept me focussed on my work and my recovery. But within that time also I remained a little bit. I also got myself a dog, a territorial pointer dog, and he was my saviour in my recovery. He got me out every single day. He had a I had a focus. And we just loved the outdoors, you know, the fields, the woods, the beach, everywhere. This room didn't seem to revolve, was just fed to for granted for like 23 years, was just absolutely beautiful stories. And this was in my eyes was finally opened is to watch the heart here by.
Speaker 1 [00:18:44] Dog showed you another so you do all these things all the time that you living in and.
Speaker 2 [00:18:48] It was always it was always the opposite end as well. We used to go there, didn't ever come down to the shops though at a time. We were just always a visit to the countryside. It was, yeah, there was that total different way of life.
Speaker 1 [00:19:00] And you found like therapeutic? Definitely hearing you say that massively.
Speaker 2 [00:19:04] It's a big.
Speaker 1 [00:19:05] Part of your recovery.
Speaker 2 [00:19:06] Yeah, definitely. It was geared towards getting our partner focus, getting every single.
Speaker 1 [00:19:11] Day inertia and just be.
Speaker 2 [00:19:13] Cannot. That repetitive cycle is one of the you know, the who you're hanging around with that normal cycle. So yeah I mean I went to Iraq and I worked at the nursing home for four years and then I just felt this was I wanted more. I wanted more. I want to be more than just a carer and not the position in the nursing home was you were a carer or you were actually a nurse. Okay, I was going to be a nurse. Never, never thought that I was ever going to be I wasn't going to go to university. I would have to go to college for a couple of years. I'd have to go university. That that wasn't within me. I didn't I didn't have that learning academic like that had told me I just went to work and so yeah, for myself. Great thinking after 2 minutes because I want more a lot more. I want more than this. And Gary, you I see idolised with Rhonda and Dave my dream was to work an era of, you know, family. And I knew that he would be so proud of me if I was to ever glue Mark in there. And so that was a dream. And I pursued and I applied for three jobs and I and I got offered over this three jobs. So, yeah, I couldn't believe it. I just. I grabbed the opportunity and that was 2014. So I moved in Aberdeen. I spoke with my ex partner and. I think I served him well in my recovery and I. I moved in Aberdeen and I started working in the York and just. Oh, said learning experiences. I started off as a nursing assistant, actually moved up to senior nursing assistant. They were encouraging me to go for the fast track in nursing and stuff like that and absolutely loved my job and I worked in both 1 to 1 initial assessment, very busy or two, very busy work and having people come out and being assessed and then moved on to other wards. And I just, I just thought like there is this absolutely love that I find my comfort zone as well helping people and especially those people that found coming in with addiction problems, mental health problems and.
Speaker 1 [00:21:31] Especially I imagine.
Speaker 2 [00:21:32] And been really, you know, having not been really able to them because they're mostly new. It, you know, just having that compassion that maybe other staff members didn't necessarily have because they didn't know what that situation felt like to be an astonishing yeah.
Speaker 1 [00:21:47] So sense that your thirties were so very different to your twenties.
Speaker 2 [00:21:50] Yes.
Speaker 1 [00:21:51] But that step wise kind of built in of a way I guess had been, you must have felt like a very different person in the.
Speaker 2 [00:22:00] Yes, I just knew that I was very determined to reach because I knew this is the lifestyle and the life that I had had for ten years of hell. I was doing everything in my power to completely flip on its side and say, I'm living my best life now. I'm out here helping people and I am I'm proven that I am a good person. You know, I'm bringing pride back to my family. You know, I'm rebuilding bridges, basically.
Speaker 1 [00:22:34] It's it's a lot of strength to me to go from what you've outlined in your twenties and thirties sort of strength component.
Speaker 2 [00:22:43] To to honestly, I don't know, like the same way with determination and and my addiction was very strong in like for good scoring and what have you. So like I knew I was a very determined person anyway, so I just used that determination in my recovery.
Speaker 1 [00:23:02] The other way. Yes. You used to get out of the situation and like you were saying that that period in your twenties, it was an.
Speaker 2 [00:23:10] It was hell yeah, it was hellish.
Speaker 1 [00:23:13] And it needed a lot of determination in another destructive way. But you turned that around and used that. Yes. To get out of that. Okay.
Speaker 2 [00:23:21] I had to. Yeah. And I realised once I was once I was on that path and something clicked like that was that there was no going back that once I was on that path that was me, I was on it and I was running and I was never coming back. I was never going to move back to Banks. I was in Aberdeen, my focus was on my work and I got a new partner. We were lucky, we got engaged, we were looking into getting married and yeah, so I was just really focussed on the I was just loving life in the door of 16. She was, she was living with her dad and I mean my partner ex-partner had split up and so yeah, 2014, 2015, 2016 I was living my best life working in the yard. I am living with my partner and childhood. It actually moved him, really moved in with him and moved duties to their first child, went back before it. I just getting on with life you know having a kid which coming in every month just living my life and be still been in contact with my daughter. She actually she was that she was growing up she was having her own life. She actually met her partner. They actually bought a flat in Aberdeen. So, you know, I have had contact with her in Aberdeen, I had my job in Aberdeen and things was going really good, things was going well. And so take you back to late 2016. I got married and got married and therefore I feel like I'm pregnant. And Survivor, who's usually the grown up door, everything. And I and my daughter's like 18 years old and who's me pregnant? And it's okay. It's never planned. Like, you know, it's not going to expect it at all. But that's what happened. That's life. And so, yeah, I had my little boy and then I went, I was off maternity leave and I went back to work and the door was actually looking after him in my apartment, but my husband was looking after him as well. So yeah. And then and then the door actually fell pregnant as well. And then I fell pregnant again with my little girl. And so yeah, I was working away in the and and, but we had a family tragedy. So I just had my daughter then as well. So it was 2008. I realised that I wasn't really wanting to go back to work. With my two babies, I had the low anxiety and post-natal depression.
Speaker 1 [00:26:01] And your family's suffered this child.
Speaker 2 [00:26:04] My family suffered this. This major tragedy. And I my daughter and her partner had bought a house in Macduff, and so they had moved back to Macduff. I was living in Inverurie, my husband. I wasn't going back to work. I had two small babies and the chance came up for a house to rent and both my husband's cousin had the house for rent to borrow back in there. And we came back here one day, was picking up, was collecting for us, was was a photographer and was collecting for us for was scone and he could rent the house Lisa's or she was doing that herself was going to be paying out to rent something just. Clicked in my head and I saw. Very, very well will be we, Wolf, and we will hope. And I just didn't and I just started buying and I just broke down. And I was trying to was everybody. And I was like, you know what? I've got nothing here. I've got no family. I don't know anyone. Do I really want to bring my babies up in Inverurie? Like I say, my daughter suffered. The tragedy had moved back to Macduff. Everything was just seemed to.
Speaker 1 [00:27:16] Be about.
Speaker 2 [00:27:17] Illness from year to.
Speaker 1 [00:27:18] Year.
Speaker 2 [00:27:20] That I want to come back to the life that I had left before it. Yes, I did. Not not the life that I want to come back to, the time that I'd left before, but not the person that I was before. I wasn't the same person I was, and I completely changed my mind. Yeah, I was married and two kids, so it was better than my recovery. And I and everything was just brings joy and support to bump. So yeah, we moved back to Bonds four years ago and I've suffered quite badly with depression and stuff then if not going out, not getting dressed, because the defined majorities ruled that we had suffered too. I was I was supporting medication to help me with my depression and which gradually did so over the last couple of years. Yes, I was feeling a little better. Are we going to go out different lives? Because I was just afraid it won't. So we got to council house. Finally I felt it's my house. You know, it's I can say a little bit more as well because there was always that it wasn't my house and I've never quite sailed there. But once I got my own house and I knew I was settled, kids was going to school and everything by myself, you know, just mentally feeling a lot better. And I mean, was that a no friend of mine at the school one morning and he said, I wish they had me to do not go. You look around. How long's it been now since you've been in recovery? That's that's been ten years. And he said ten years. Like when I was like, oh, my goodness, I know this means Junior, come on, give one of these meetings. Medication recovery to me means it started off by saying a girl called Victoria and she'd started them up. You need to come along lives they will care. So add that over the longer one of the meetings and it was there and he asked me to do a share a share my story. So a share was.
Speaker 1 [00:29:21] Like we are.
Speaker 2 [00:29:23] To do a little share your story from where you come and in recovery and what you've done to maintain recovery officer And yeah, started going to a medication recovery mainly in Ireland, but that was historic this year.
Speaker 1 [00:29:40] So what was that like your first encounter with Turn In? Yes.
Speaker 2 [00:29:43] Yes. That was my first encounter with a turning point again from. 15 years, ten years or ten years ago I did DOCSIS turning point then we were in a very quick new and so like I say, it was it was actually turner flavoured turning point actually it didn't do much, but then they did have a needle exchange and everything, but it was more like your coupons from cancer clinic. It was cancer clinic.
Speaker 1 [00:30:11] It was a different shape.
Speaker 2 [00:30:12] Different. It was yes. To what it is now. And I was a bit of a turning point in mine. You actually worked for Turning Point as well, doing the needle exchange. And so and I was a turning point yet, but I've been involved. It makes partners stuff so I was always a bit of time when you.
Speaker 1 [00:30:27] In.
Speaker 2 [00:30:28] That and so when I actually came back. Two, Bob and Carolyn came along to one of the meetings and both. And I actually was doing my I mean, cheers. And after the meeting, she says, I remember you. And I say to you, I can't remember you. She says, I remember you. But it was like from years ago to yeah. Versus mortified. So I was like, I can't remember you. 7 million watching what you remember of me. Me from then. Just I can't believe that she, you know, like, yeah, it's me. And so yeah. Go talk of Six Flags, those that have been in recovery since then. And she's like, wow, she's like Ken Lay. Obviously, you could be a benefit to us. And I think me the first thing she mentioned to me was like working with in prisons and stuff like that. Barbara just appealed to me massively. So yeah, got involved in the turning point.
Speaker 1 [00:31:27] And so that was kind of you don't get to take up a peer support worker just.
Speaker 2 [00:31:34] Within the next ten years of being open to meet.
Speaker 1 [00:31:36] Your clearly hope. That appealed from your lived. Yes, from your I and your emotions just over there.
Speaker 2 [00:31:45] Well, a peer support worker is like, you know, they're looking for someone that's been, you know, in that position as well. So in their lives or, you know, can relate to in some way and are now in recovery and no can people will look. Yes, I was in your position. Yes. I felt as though it was impossible as well. But do you can't do it. Look at me. I can, you know. I don't know. You can do anything.
Speaker 1 [00:32:10] So how if I understand, I get that. But how does that work in practise? How do you connect? So this is the last year or so we.
Speaker 2 [00:32:19] Just did last.
Speaker 1 [00:32:19] Year at work. In return, employee is a peer support worker. So tell me about how that works. That how do you connect with people? Where are the or the spaces in the photos in the process?
Speaker 2 [00:32:31] Who's right? But you see we we hold. Fortnightly medication and recovery meetings and I facilitate them and and medication recovery me meetings are about to be staple medication, fame and acceptance, you know, for being stable on medication or looking to go on to medication, prescription or come off one, but also incorporate mental health as well. That's open to just anyone seeking recovery in recovery or you know, but very procedural. And we come together and and, you know, share our stories, but not we don't focus on the, you know, the sad stories of the past. We focus we keep the focus on recovery. How do you do how do you maintain it, what you did to help you? Recovery is personal to everyone. Everyone is different. You know, what worked for me will work for people. It might work for some. You know, it just it's such a personal journey, people's recovery.
Speaker 1 [00:33:34] So at how many people are showing up to. So that's the medication coverage. Yes. Every fortnight.
Speaker 2 [00:33:40] Every fortnight we've got actually got to me into it. Well in truth and I do want to bounce and the bottom phone has been running for a year. Victoria set up I just I just took over facilitating in August but being present not to me since the start of the year and Juliet me in is quite a big meeting we had fit for 12 to 14 people come regular yesterday. It was actually a smaller meeting, so much more intimate and a lot more time for people to speak as well and get into a of daily just for people to come on and share. And we do like to check in over the past two weeks how much it cost to speak, you know, rents and do you want to go off your chest? It's really is a good place for getting things off your chest, for vengeance, you know, for relief is so stress. And then you've.
Speaker 1 [00:34:30] Heard the.
Speaker 2 [00:34:31] Issue, of course, the connexion. People can be sad and very, very, very lonely. But even just into the group, you know, is a big part of their day. People look forward to it and have to start to meet. And they are in the same company with like minded people, you know, people whose be there in recovery, seeking recovery. And yeah, just just having a common ground for everyone, you know, to be, to be on the same level, you know, is just that just compassion and respect is really powerful.
Speaker 1 [00:35:04] What you said about, you know, having discussions with the overall direction that recovery is possible.
Speaker 2 [00:35:12] Yes, we keep it really do keep the focus on the hope recover and things that work. Well, we do a lot to work with, to work on the flip chart, you know, things that work and you know, things like in your reactions, how you react to people. It's just like in skills like that, you know, in the keep and things, you know. I live here. We call it your hula hoop. It's a hula hoop, too, you know, things that you don't want to let in other people's, like, you know, influences and what have you. Ginny, look after yourself. Your mental health. It's all about boundaries as well. Set boundaries. It's been okay. That's enough to people, you know, don't be people pleasers, you know, it's like it's a little split space.
Speaker 1 [00:35:58] Yeah. You just understanding our continents.
Speaker 2 [00:36:01] Yet.
Speaker 1 [00:36:02] And maybe having different perspectives is.
Speaker 2 [00:36:04] That is what helps as well. Everyone's got a different point of view on things and they perceive see what works for some may not work for others so it is and just taking a little bit so we have like lots of information and things that are signposted and there have been places to go and get help in behalf you see it being a support worker and do my facility and the means and everything, I just I'm just actually doing okay in everything that I've learnt as well. I'm always learning to do courses, done interview training to be in for the miscue project. Further my standards so in a country and if you're an interviewer to see if these and I've been there my standards have been implemented and services and so like I'm actually whereas I was a big part of the problem in society I'm no part of this solution.
Speaker 1 [00:37:05] Come fools.
Speaker 2 [00:37:06] I've come full circle from where I was. Being a heroin addict. I am nurse and here today. Ten years into my recovery worked in it. I achieved McCall's. I worked to achieve so much training and support worker. I've also done smart training and the training to be a local interviewer and.
Speaker 1 [00:37:34] It's just phenomenal.
Speaker 2 [00:37:36] Yeah, just just love, love it and all this. The training and the opportunities I have got and opportunities are still the reason I'm grabbing every single one of them because I just love I love what I'm doing. I love the fact I can help others that were in the same situation I was. I understand. I know. I'm an embassy. I know exactly how that feels.
Speaker 1 [00:38:02] This is the whole lived experience. This kind of logic, isn't it? To use the joke to help others.
Speaker 2 [00:38:09] And if all of it you said to me. But then actually this is when you are going to be the. I couldn't ever see me get better. I couldn't see me getting past out withdrawals. I couldn't see me ever being clean, but.
Speaker 1 [00:38:23] Maybe tells a very clear story that.
Speaker 2 [00:38:26] Is. Yeah, hope and determination and just just a real focus for. I wasn't a bad person. I am a good person. Let me prove says you know this. Just let me be me and I'll show you who I am. I know my addiction. I am emotionally, you know.
Speaker 1 [00:38:45] Oh, actually, you shared a lot of who you are in those stadiums. So very grateful. What an amazing journey from you. Hellish day. Yet you described in your twenties where maybe one foolish decision exotically led you down a dreadful path and how you turn that around. You broke the cycle. Yes. Even in the face of tragedy. Yes. Oppression and hope of G.
Speaker 2 [00:39:11] But I know. I know. And honestly, I love it here and I love being home. I appreciate so much man for for what it is a I just I just loved that.
Speaker 1 [00:39:24] You know, so you and your family and I'm sure your granddad, too. Yes.
Speaker 2 [00:39:28] There you know, it's and you know, my kids can grow up and violence from their knowing. They know they're not going to get to pointing a finger at them, the new mum said. And I think, you know, they can hopefully the and I'm going to be honest with them anyway. Like honestly there's nothing that.
Speaker 1 [00:39:41] Things that you always have.
Speaker 2 [00:39:42] Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 [00:39:43] Yeah. Um, this podcast series is about recovery stories, so this might be an unfair question, but a opposed to finish off. And thank you again for being so candid and shared and today. But if you had one message from your recovery, your journey, what would it be?
Speaker 2 [00:40:06] Don't just like to say that my main message is recovery as possible, really as possible. I was I didn't ever think it was going to be when I was in that situation. But yes, of of I'm glad that day of said where I am today. And the reason I am doing this as well and I feel passionately about it is for the ones that aren't here today, that have lost their lives, children, any active addiction or any other mental health crisis. And it's your move to do support for the ones that haven't got a voice anymore. I, I recover locally so that people don't suffer quietly, you know? Yeah.
Speaker 1 [00:40:52] I think it's a hugely powerful message, actually. Thank you again for shooting. Yeah, that was that was a fascinating story to listen to. Thank you.
Speaker 2 [00:41:04] Thank you. You're welcome.