Luke

Luke, sober since January 2019

I fell through the door of Bank House on the 15th January 2019 still clutching my bottle of vodka (not that I remember arriving, but the staff kindly reminded me of this once I’d sobered up a little). I came to Steps Together an absolute mess. I couldn’t even speak to people, without having a stupid amount of alcohol in my system, my anxiety was that bad. My depression didn’t help, and I’d spent months prior either isolating or taking ridiculous risks, out of my face on drugs and alcohol.

After helping me to get sober, Steps Together then started to help me to deal with my anxiety and depression and actually made me start to enjoy my newfound sobriety. I learnt so much about myself and staying sober in my 28 days there. They prepared me for going into the world with new tools for recovery and a new outlook on life.

When I left Bank House, they thought I would benefit from spending some time in other recovery communities building my confidence. I went into Ark House for six weeks to build on the foundation of recovery that Steps together had started. From there I continued to build on my recovery journey by following the advice I had received at Bank House to attend Double Impact Academy in Lincoln.

After I had reached a year’s sobriety, I was given the opportunity to volunteer at Bank House. It was a huge pleasure to be able to contribute back to the people who had helped me so much and the recovery community. Unfortunately, covid-19 forced me to postpone volunteering with Steps Together but luckily, I was still able to give back to the recovery community through my job at Double Impact and through the fellowships.

I’ve recently celebrated my 18-month sober birthday and I’ve now gone from part-time to full time employment at Double Impact. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Steps Together and all the support I received from the staff at Bank House. I want to wish Bank House a happy 3rd anniversary and a huge thank you for everything you do!