L L A S E
SC
R A B OT
S Ian MyStoryUK “everybody has a story to tell”
T O SC S E R A B
L L A
t r a w e t S n a MyStory by I I was born in a town called Kirkcaldy, Fife Scotland in 1958. I went to Kirkcaldy High School in 1969 to 1974 and it was there I discovered alcohol. I started to drink at the age of 15 years old and I got in trouble with the police at a early age. When I left school I got a job as a van boy delivering bread and cakes to shops and off licenses and I used to drink on the job. I got caught drinking and I got the sack. In 1984 I went to prison for 6 months because I broke a pint glass and put it in a man’s face. That’s what the drink had done to me. In 1988 I got married and I was still drinking, but I denied I had a problem with alcohol. In 1991 my daughter was born. I did not see her being born as I was in the pub drinking. In 1995 I left the family home. I slept on the streets for a short while before I asked to come back to the family home. And then I called the AA Helpline. I stayed in AA for two years and when I stopped going to AA, I went back on the drink for the next 5 years.
I WAS GETTING MY HEAD
STITCHED
I got in trouble with the police. I was sleeping on the streets for a long time. I was never out of the hospital because of drink. I was getting my stomach pumped out or I was getting my head stitched. Three years ago I came to London with my wife and my daughter. We were going to give our marriage another go, when I got my drinking problem sorted out. They got a house in London, but I could not get a house as I did not have enough ID on me. So I was sleeping on the streets and I was still drinking. That was 2005. I went into the Drop-in Centre at the church where I was sleeping and asked for help. I got into Acorn House in 2005, then I moved on to second stage housing. When I was in second stage, nearly two years ago, my wife died and I am three years sober.
3 YEARS SOBER
And now I have my own flat, I do voluntary work, and I am a student at the Hanbury centre. I’m glad I am in recovery. I have done things I would not have done when I was drunk. Thank you for listening to my story.
Published by the MyStoryUK project written by Ian Stewart October 2008 (Hanbury, DropIn, staff) photos RodB design IanS & RodB the Spitalfields Crypt Trust www.sct.org.uk at the New Hanbury Project 020 7613 5636 3 Calvert Avenue London E2 7JP October 2008 recoverychanneluk@gmail.com
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