You could say that Darren received an unexpected but life-changing 40th birthday gift. It was on this significant watershed celebration that he first visited Forward’s Dover drop-in clinic for help with his alcohol addiction.
“My initial chat was amazing: it was the first time in my life that I felt listened to. I was able to sit down and explain my problems while someone listened carefully and took genuine interest in what I had to say.
“Within 10 minutes, I felt so comfortable and supported, I knew I was doing the right thing.”
The following week, Darren started Forward’s Alcohol Pathway programme. At the weekly meetings, he learnt about alcohol’s effects on the body, the risks of stopping without a reduction plan, and all the mental and physical side-effects of addiction and recovery. Forward also started Darren on a three-month reduction plan.
Two days after Darren finished his detox plan, he started Forward’s Dover Day Programme. It involved three months of intense group therapy. He never thought he'd be able to sit with a group of people sharing what happened to be on his mind:
“With some of the issues that came up, I hadn’t even admitted to myself, let alone others.”
During his second week on the Day Programme, Darren became at risk of homelessness. His key worker at Forward referred Darren to relevant housing teams in Folkestone, and within a week, he was in suitable accommodation.
“If it wasn’t for Forward, I wouldn’t have known about it. Not having to deal with the disruption of being homeless so early in my recovery was a huge relief.”
When Darren came to the end of the Day Programme, his worry that he may see a reduction in the amount of support he received was completely allayed. While he participated in the Day Programme, he had weekly one-to-one sessions, which continued for two months after the programme ended.
After a while, Darren took another life-changing step to switch up his life experience: He applied for a trainee scheme at Forward. Five years later, Darren continues to be a valued member of staff with Forward and gets huge amounts of job satisfaction.
“Today, life is really good. Getting back to work was the most amazing feeling and working with the people who helped me come into recovery was even better. I smile every time I think about it.”
