Grab a cuppa and tune in to the Daily Show on Men’s Radio Station. In this episode, Phil Dave talks about addiction, treatment and recovery with Chris, Cameron and Patrick.
From 08.57 into the broadcast, hear from Chris Cordell, Director of Operations at Help Me Stop:
‘Our mission is to try and get as many people who have problems with alcohol and drugs into an abstinent state,’ Chris says. ‘We set up our service initially in London but we’ve also got an online treatment programme because we realise not everyone can come to ‘the smoke’ and get the help that they need.’
‘I am one of the founders. I’ve been helping people get off drugs and alcohol for about 20 years, both in community substance misuse, as well as in private residential. One of the big problems is that the majority of services aren’t set up to support people who are still working, or they have childcare activities, or they’ve got other family to look after.’
‘We’ve got two services, one in central London, one in west London, where people can come in on a day-to-day basis and get intensive support – the same sort of support that you would get in a residential rehab but you go home every day. But there are also individuals who don’t live near London or don’t even live in the same country, who still need that support but don’t know where to reach out to. So, we deliver a similar programme online, so people don’t even need to leave their home or their office in order to get the treatment they need.’
From 11.55 into the broadcast, hear from Cameron, who successfully completed the Help Me Stop treatment programme:
‘I have an addictive personality and for many years, my addiction manifested in taking way too many drugs and I couldn’t stop,’ Cameron says. ‘The Help Me Stop programme was affordable [and it] worked around my life – because I have a business, I have kids, I’ve got a wife – and it took me out of that situation I was in, that kind of daily reprieve of just constantly drinking and taking drugs, without completely taking me out of my life. Going into a full time treatment programme was not on the cards for me really. There was no option for me to be able to go and spend weeks and months maybe locked away in a treatment centre.’
On his recovery, Cameron says, ‘Fortunately, I’ve never looked back. There wasn’t so much one specific defining moment, there were lots and lots and lots of massive triggers that said, ‘maybe this isn’t for you and maybe there’s another way.’ And luckily, for me, for my family, for my friends, for my business, for the people who work for me, I found a way out. I am truly grateful for that. I’m done – drinking, drugs, I’m so done with it. […] I don’t want to be like that anymore. I want to be like I am now. I’m the happiest, I imagine the healthiest, the clearest of mind I’ve ever been.’
From 23.23 into the broadcast, Patrick speaks about his experience of addiction and recovery:
‘I had no understanding of addiction. I didn’t know what I suffered from. I didn’t know I suffered from a disease. […] With the help of Help Me Stop, I was able to understand that I’m not alone, that there is hope.’
On his recovery, Patrick says, ‘First of all it’s just get through the door and then it’s get a day, a week, a month, and now my goal is a year. […] Freedom doesn’t come from saying, ‘I’m not going to drink today.’ Freedom comes from saying, ‘I know why I drunk and I know what drink will give me if I choose to pick it up again.’
Call 0208 191 9191 or contact us to talk about addiction treatment at Help Me Stop.
