"I'm in a better place now"

I am writing this story because I want to share my experience of being a patient for CGL in Birmingham (Change Grow Live) to help with my addiction to drugs and how their guidance has led to me not only getting clean but also improving all other areas of my life too. 

When I first spoke to Michael I was at the lowest point in my life. I was terrifying myself with the large amounts of ketamine and cocaine I was using (At the time I was unable to stop despite wanting to) I very nearly lost my relationship with my long-term girlfriend, caused a lot of pain for my family and friends and was spending increasingly larger amounts of money (As much as £200 per day at the peak) and neglecting my work. I was lying, deceiving, and hiding my problem, I was in complete denial until I crashed completely.

From day 1 Michael and Laura gave me excellent advice, were polite, compassionate, and non-judgemental and I can honestly say that my experience with Michael, Laura, and the program at CGL has fundamentally changed my life for the better.

I am delighted that I have not used any drugs since speaking with Michael and Laura, and after undergoing their training sessions I subsequently made a personal decision address my alcohol intake so I went sober for the month of October (Which is by far the longest I have gone without a drink in the past 20 years!) I expected this to be difficult but by applying the training that Michael and Laura from CGL gave to I’m delighted to report that it actually wasn’t that difficult and I found lots of other different ways to relax an enjoy myself that don’t cause negative long term outcomes.

When I first came to Michael and Laura at CGL my priority was to stop taking Ketamine and Cocaine but the effectiveness of the support and training I received has done so much more for me! The training also led me to take action to address my lifestyle choices and behaviours. As a result, I have improved my diet (I cook all my own healthy meals now), I started exercising again and the most significant change has been that I have finally managed to taper off my anti-depressant medication after 15 years of daily use which has led to me feeling better in so many ways that I could write a separate book on it! 😊

Now that I have managed to get clean I am also applying the practical lessons I have learned from the course into my work, relationships, health, and fitness, I am going from strength to strength and this would not have happened without the help, support, compassion and time that Michael, Laura, and CGL invested in helping me.

Despite the challenges of having to adapt to remote counselling sessions on ZOOM and having much larger groups than usual Michael and Laura have done a fantastic job and CGL are fortunate to have them as employees.

Michael was typically humble when I told him that he and Laura had changed my life for the better and stated that they were only a tiny part of me changing for the better but I would have to respectfully disagree! I sincerely believe that my interaction with Michael, Laura and CGL and the advice they gave to me in group sessions and on personal calls is the fundamental reason I am now in a better place and will continue to be in the future.

I cannot convey in words alone how grateful I am to Michael, Laura and CGL and I want it to be known.