Recovering addicts share stories of hope

Kieran Glass, known for years to friends and colleagues as the “big man, the go-to,” has shared how he, “would have always thrown myself into everything — be it business, sport — and I am the type of person to give it everything.

“In my late 30s, I went through a few traumas and deaths in the family and was drowning my sorrows and burying my head in the ‘bottle’. Looking back now, I know I had problems. I did not want to talk, and I always kept everything in.”

Kieran was sharing his story during this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week, which shines a spotlight on how around 10 million people in the UK regularly drink alcohol in ways that can harm their health and wellbeing. Regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week is considered to pose a risk of damaging your health.

In 2020, Kieran and his family relocated to Downpatrick, and he was accepted onto Ward 15.

“You hear people talking of a ‘higher power’. I believe a higher power pushed me in this direction, to these facilities. They have gotten me sober.”

He added: “I can’t thank the staff here at Bernagh House enough. It is a good group of people here. We are good people. To have an addiction is not a failure, and it is not a failure to ask for help. The only thing I failed at was not asking for help soon enough. I am grateful now for a higher power that has got me the help — with the South Eastern Trust’s Addiction Team Peer Support Worker, Mark Sharkey-Greenhalgh, and the group here.”

Tracey Quail, who is from Downpatrick, described how, “Alcoholism took an awful lot from me. My journey with alcohol has been a long, ongoing one.

“I drank alcoholically over a 25–30 year period. I had had enough of life; my marriage had broken up, and I was in a toxic relationship.”

Tracey recalled how, in 2019, her family sought help and asked her, ‘Where do you want to go from here?’ “I remember saying I needed help, and it was the first time I admitted having a drink problem. I remember that night — when I said I needed that help and I stood up — when I sat back down, it was as if the seat came around me. My secret was out,” said Tracey.

Tracey spent time in the Newry-based rehabilitation centre, Cuan Mhuire, and from there, she was “prepared to go to any lengths” to tackle her addiction to alcohol.

She said: “I was told there was a Monday Ladies Group at Bernagh House in the Downe Hospital, so I decided to give it a try. I attend every Monday, and there is a group on a Friday too. The group gives me the strength. Those rooms are my safe place. I need the support of the group and will more than likely be attending for the rest of my life. My head can tell me, ‘You are OK,’ or my head can tell me, ‘You are not OK.’ When I come to the meetings at Bernagh House, I am with like-minded people. No one is looking for anything — the meetings are for us to continue with our recovery.”

Tracey continued: “If anyone asks me how long I have been in recovery for, I only ever say ‘today.’ I have only today to talk about. I do not have another recovery. If I were to drink again, I will die.

“My advice to anyone who is struggling with addiction and wants to get help is to go to their GP. Ask for your GP to refer you to the Addictions Team and come to the meetings. The hardest thing that person will do is walk up the stairs here at Bernagh House, but it will be the most rewarding. Why do I come back every Monday after six years? Because it is working.”

Mark Sharkey-Greenhalgh offered a simple, yet powerful, message to those who are struggling with addiction: “Do not give up hope.

“I’m a recovered addict myself — over 20 years. For those who are seeking help with their addiction to alcohol, to drugs, or both, speak to your GP and try to get a referral to our Addiction Team. You will be met with nothing but support and guidance. My colleagues right across the Trust really are the unsung heroes, as they meet people when they are at their depths of despair and they get those people onto the road of recovery.

“There is a pathway there. All you have to do is put the work in. Nobody gives us recovery. It is incredibly difficult, but you can do it.

“We do not forget about the people that didn’t make it, or the people who believe that this is not the right time for them. We are there for them. Just take that step.”