Shannon
I have been a service user at Reach Out for roughly one year, during this time Reach Out has helped me to maintain my rehabilitation. Services such as advice, food and reflexology are just some of the things that I have utilized at Reach Out.
The charity itself has helped me a great deal, being able to receive judgmental free advice, it is something that has played a big part in my recovery. Just knowing that there are people out there willing to help you out of the kindness of their hearts is enough to give people the incentive to change.
I am now in the last stage of my recovery. After suffering from a serious cocaine addiction and spending the best part of my teenage years in and out of prison, I am now on my way to a full and fruitful career in law. I have an unconditional offer from John Moores University in Liverpool to read law. Throughout my time at college Reach Out played a very important part in my learning, being able to verbalise what I had learned with the project manager Julie helped me so much because my friends and associates were not really in a position to talk to me about these things.
Reach out has helped me to focus on what I really want out of life and how I can take S.M.A.R.T steps to get it. Having the opportunity to go away on a residential trip with Reach Out, has provided me with the chance to get a birds eye view of my life, it’s helped me to put things into perspective and now tasks I need to complete at home are nowhere near as daunting.
Reach Out is the only service around for young people in the same position as me, if it wasn’t around, then individuals’ recovery would be an awful lot harder. Staff at Reach Out are very friendly and approachable. This is one quality that makes them very popular and valued.
I think it is very important for them to continue, so they can carry on supporting people because often this support acts as a substitute family.