I had lived a life of being in constant fear. Fear of judgement, fear of the future, fear of others …
Whilst my active addiction lasted six years, my behaviours and thinking had always been that of an addict
since I was a child. Obsession and fantasy are part of my make-up.
My addiction took me to dark places – stealing, webs of deceit and manipulation, debt, job losses, hurting
family and friends and disrespecting my body.
After three years with three half attempts of getting clean, I ended up in a state of existence where the
drugs and alcohol were no longer working, I’d run out of excuses, my life was in pieces, I didn’t have any
money to my name, and I simply did not know how to live without substances. I was desperate for
change.
After two months in primary treatment, I arrived at Liberty Home with a big fake smile plastered on my
face in an attempt to mask the fear and anxiety of not knowing what the future would hold.
I was welcomed with love.
I had been given the gift of desperation. My obsession with using and drinking left me very quickly. It was
never really about the substance. I found out painfully that I was left with the real problem…me.
My counsellor helped me confront this – my behaviours, thinking, actions, and ego. When all I wanted to
do was to run and hide, Vincent and the Liberty staff gave me care, compassion, no judgment and
patience. They showed me that it’s okay to be vulnerable. In fact, they encouraged and embraced it.
Liberty and Vincent really left no stone unturned. We worked through the damages of addiction, childhood
and sexual trauma, as well as having conjoints with my family and friends.
As Liberty became my home, slowly, the fake smile dropped to reveal my true self – I learned what it is to
be a whole authentic person.
Through living at Liberty, I learned things that I didn’t even know at the time were needed to live a healthy
life – boundaries, real honesty, acceptance of others, and empathy.
Their Reintegration Programme is exactly that – as well as working rigorously on myself, Vincent also
guided and supported me through the practical elements of rebuilding my life, such as getting a job,
budgeting to become financially independent and finding a home in my new city.
Whilst this hard work was happening, I also experienced what it’s like to really live, have fun again and
laugh genuinely. I felt safe. Liberty was the toughest but also some of the happiest times of my life.
Today, thanks to Liberty Home, I work a full-time job as a director of an advertising agency, I study
psychology, I have passions & hobbies, I help others, and my relationships are the strongest and
healthiest they have ever been.
I’m no longer at war with myself. I no longer simply exist in the world.
I always say Liberty Home didn’t save my life. Only I could have done that. What it did do, however, is
help me build a beautiful, authentic and sustainable life beyond anything I could have ever imagined. A
life I didn’t even know I wanted or needed.
Liberty helped me become the person I never knew I could be.
But most importantly, it is the place that truly set me free.