"Inclusive & Accepting"

For 40 years I was a very heavy drinking alcoholic and nearly died in January 2017. Emergency treatment at St Helier and St George's hospitals saved my life that day. Since that day I have been a recovering alcoholic, guided by the Inspire partnership based in Sutton.

As part of my recovery programme, Inspire introduced me to The Recovery College (RC). From the first course I attended with RC by embraced their complete ethos and way of teaching. The manner in which they are so inclusive and accepting of members of our community with such diverse mental health issues is so fundamental to their success. With the help of RC I found the building blocks with which to start building me a real life.

As part of the 5 Ways to Well-being course, I was given the confidence to offer myself as a volunteer with Inspire. That encouragement to believe in myself was probably the key factor in my self development as a new person. I am now a Peer Mentor and volunteer & none of this would have been possible without the support of the RC.

In every course I have attended I have left with new tools that help me every day lead a fulfilling life where I now have the chance to give back to the community I so long ignored.

In my role as peer mentor working alongside addicts new to their recovery, I urge all of them to look at the RC timetable to find courses they feel may help them. Many of them do and all come back with positive experiences from which ever course they have attended. I will forever be grateful for the massive part RC has played in building my new life.