Meet Becky

Today I met with Becky, who wanted to share her story about her life before Avondale to where she is at now.

Here is what she wanted to share

I’ve been with Avondale for 8 years now, my life before I didn’t know what could happen next or where I would be in 3-4 years’ time little did I know that was all about to change. Avondale gave me a chance to start again, but with the support and guidance I needed. Addiction was a part of my life and what I leaned on when times got hard I knew it was the wrong way to turn, but when I reached out previously for help I felt like I was frowned upon and just told “to give it up” but how? I knew I wanted better for myself, a better life, and to be accepted for being Becky and not someone who has had trouble and addiction. Been in and out of hospital where there were no social groups or anything to work towards, just if I seemed a bit better I could go home and start the cycle again, I knew that needed to stop.

That’s when I found Avondale, Avondale has been able to give me a continuous routine with faces I’m familiar with and free of judgment, they have made me feel safe when I was most vulnerable. Being with Avondale, I have enrolled in first aid courses, sports courses that have made me feel like I am important and worthy of having a life. It wasn’t easy at first, but with trust and time I got there, I had relapse after 2 years of being in the service which would normally really upset me and make me feel awful, but my support workers and all the staff at Avondale reassured me that this was ok and I can get back on track, with regular support I have much more confident and come out of my shell and taken the leap into talking to new people.

I now regularly help out at the local social club with the cooking and take part in regular exercise such as boxing this has really helped me keep focused in a safe, controlled environment as a way to express my feelings and let go of some anger. Through the club and boxing I now have got great friends that I never thought I would have met. I no longer feel judged or scared to send a text and ask for extra support or to say “I’ve done this, can we meet tomorrow” and they are there in a heartbeat; they really have become my family. They empower me every day that I can get where I want to be and that’s because I am capable and I am doing it with ongoing support and love from Avondale.