THE key to recovering from addiction can come in many different forms, but for one Weston woman her ‘miracle’ was a man who had faced the same battle and welcomed her into a new family.
Sue Glue was the first person to receive support from Help For Addiction, a group which was set up this year by former addict Danny Nickles.
The Mercury met Danny earlier this year and he told us of his determined journey through addiction to drugs and alcohol, homelessness, nights spent in cells and times in hospital after he had tried to end it all.
But his battle ultimately resulted in victory and Danny has been clean for more than five years, and given speeches in Parliament about his experiences.
He has since gone one step further and set up the charity to help others who have struggled like he did, as well as supprting their families.
Sue, aged 53, faced a similar downward spiral to Danny after she relapsed on August 10.
She had been in long-term recovery from alcohol for almost nine years, but a series of horrific events brought her back into ‘the pit’.
Sue, who lived in Surrey but is now in supported housing in Weston, said: “This year started off very badly. My partner died, I had major surgery in March and had family problems and I ended up relapsing.
“I got myself into a very bad way very quickly and I ended up in hospital.
“I was so ill I was going to die if John had not intervened.”
John Slingsby, of Burnham, is Sue’s friend who is also in recovery. She met him on a course which coached people who have dealt with addiction.
He said: “I was involved in helping her because there was no-one around to support her.
“She was struggling with her service providers and on October 7 we had a plan for her to come to Weston, but she would be homeless.
“I called Weston Counselling and they said ‘we can’t, we have so few places’.
“But due to some miracle they said a guy has just walked into the office and the charity he runs is prepared to fund her.”
This ‘guy’ was Danny and Help For Addiction secured its first person to support.
John said: “If it wasn’t for Danny she would have been delivered here completely homeless, and what the implications for that would have been we hopefully will never know.”
Sue said: “I did actually feel safe when I arrived here and felt this sense of relief.
“I did not have much hope because I had no self belief, I had lost everything.
“I went from a place where I thought this is really the end to feeling happier now than I can ever remember.”
Sue, like John, now wants to give something back to the community and the charity. John is training to be a counsellor at Weston College and Sue hopes to use her experience to help others.
The charity is also expanding its work by running family programmes to help friends or relatives of those dealing with addiction and lending them an ear and offering advice on treatments.
The last session was held in November and the next is due to start on January 17.
John said: “My experience was there was no support from my family at all. I have been the fortunate one and had AA and the church fellowship.
“And once you have recovered you want to go back into the pit and help others.”
To help support the charity even further Danny has organised a skydive in April, which will be led by the vicar of St Paul’s Church Andrew Alden.
For more information on the family programme call the Help For Addiction number 07775 159619.
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