A York man has shared his story of how reaching out for help turned his life around.
The man has chosen to remain anonymous - we’ll refer to him as Greg.
Greg was married with children, nearing his 30th wedding anniversary and owned his own business with a turnover of around £150,000 a year. But in the space of three months everything changed.
The now 53-year-old says personal circumstances led to the collapse of his marriage – something that left him devastated and led to him having a mental breakdown.
“It just destroyed me,” he said. “I didn’t concentrate on the business anymore.
“I went downhill pretty fast over a period of three years.”
Greg took large amounts of cocaine and occasionally sold illegal substances to fuel his addiction.
He found himself living with a friend but after a disagreement started living in his van.
Things then turned worse, and he tried to take his own life three times.
‘They didn’t just help; they kick started my life’
Greg said this was the final straw. He decided to reach out for help and phoned the Salvation Army.
“It just came to a point where I decided ‘that’s it, I’ve had enough’,” he said.
Within 24 hours of the call, he was offered a room in Changing Lives’ Union Terrace hostel.
“They (the Salvation Army) didn’t just help; they kick started my life,” he said.
Greg arrived at the hostel and had a room of his own. But he admitted that it was a big change, and would often say to himself, “where am I?”
After getting to grips with the situation, he spotted men from the hostel working in the facility’s garden.
Greg had previous experience as a builder so spoke to one of the leaders of the project Nathan Killeya, pre-employment coach at Changing Lives, and offered to lend a hand.
‘I had a purpose’
Together they built a new green house, installed plants and flowers, and watched them grow.
According to Greg, getting involved with the project was a key part of his journey back to stability.
“Every day I’d come down to the garden,” he said. “I had something to do, I had a purpose.
“From arriving (at the hostel) in the first place to using my mind and my hands (to work) was like jumping to the top of a ladder.
“Being given hope and being given something to do that I was interested in, it just changed things around for me.”
With the help of the Changing Lives’ staff Greg moved on from the hostel after seven months and into shared accommodation with the charity Restore.
‘I couldn’t be happier’
He spent 13 months there and then applied to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation for a flat of his own.
Greg was offered a flat which he took without hesitation.
“The first night that I slept in the bed was the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had,” he said.
Since December 3, 2022, Greg has been clean of cocaine. He is also back in touch with his family.
“I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “I don’t need anything else; I’ve got my furniture; I’ve got food in the cupboard… what else do I need?”
Due to lasting impacts of his mental breakdown Greg is classed as disabled and is unable to work. He still offers a helping hand to the staff at the Union Terrace hostel and has started to mentor some of the men being supported there to help them learn a trade.
Greg encouraged others that have fallen on hard times to reach out for help.
“There’re people that will help,” he said. “If you want the help, it is there. Just class it as a stopping point in your life because you know that you’re going to go further.”
- The Samaritans say that whatever you're going through, you can call them for free, at any time, from any phone, on 116 123.
- For more information about Changing Lives and its services visit: https://www.changing-lives.org.uk/
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article