My name is Mark. I have been in recovery since 2013.

Before I began my recovery journey, I was in active addiction for 26 years. I began drinking and experimenting with drugs at an early age – when I was in my teens.

It was not long before my drinking and substance-taking escalated, and I soon became hopeless and isolated, and could not see a way out of the life I was leading. This went on for 26 years. In this time, I got into trouble with the criminal justice system and mentally scarred my family. I soon found myself more isolated, more alone, full of shame, depressed, and wanting to end it all. I could not see a way out of the live I had made for myself and felt that no one believed in me.

I had hospital admissions and support from treatment services, but could still not see a way out. Life was getting worse. Support workers and hospital staff tried anything, but still I felt stuck, alone and isolated.

Then one morning just after being discharged from hospital, I remembered that a person working in the hospital spoke to me about an abstinence-based building, called Butler Gardens here on the Isle of Wight, that I could stay in. It was May 1, 2013 and I felt ready to give it a shot, so I phoned up my mental health support worker, and asked if a bed was free at Butler Gardens.

I was told by my support worker not to drink or take any drugs and he would find out. A short while later my phone rang and my support worker told me there was a bed there and he would come and collect me to take me there. So off I went on my new journey.

I arrived at Butler Gardens, and was greeted by very friendly staff. I was shown to my room and asked not to walk around the building until my alcohol breath reading was clear. I did as I was told for the first time in my life, and I felt valued. I felt people believed in me and I knew, for the first time, this was my chance to change my life.

After spending a couple of days in my room, I started asking for help from the staff and, before long, I started working on myself and building my recovery. I could not have done any of this without the staff at Butler Gardens. For the first time for a long time, I felt heard and supported. I did not feel isolated, and I felt I could achieve something in my life. I soon found I was a full-time resident. My life started to change instantly.

I attended meetings to aid me with my recovery and one of the staff helped me with a relapse prevention course. I was advised to attend a treatment service for addiction, which I did. I wanted to stay clean and sober, so I worked on myself and my recovery every day. I was attending courses most days. I soon became a volunteer. People were believing in me, and it was such a good feeling.

I currently work for the NHS as a senior peer support worker, and have worked for the NHS for seven years. I have played a successful part in building a service on the Isle of Wight with Isorropia and Safe Haven. I have worked at inclusion and set up the Housing Navigator service, and, most recently, have set up a peer support role funded by the Police Crime Commissioner and delivered by the NHS. I am also a director of an addiction retreat service called ‘Get Into Recovery’.