In late August 2008, I saw a newspaper article and thought ‘Wow, I’ve got to try this! ’ I studied the internet and noticed it was based around NLP. I was really encouraged by this fact as I had first hand experience that ‘this stuff works’.

I was discharged 6 months later, and for many years I was stuck in a cycle where my self-worth was defined by my eating disorder. I had a very unhealthy relationship with food and suffered from low self-esteem, low confidence, and constant guilt. On a much more personal level, 2016 was the year that we as a family met our Eating Disorder. I say “our” eating disorder as reflecting back on our experiences as a family of four, we have had our own individual relationship with our youngest daughters ED. Following a recommendation from his agent, Hopkins attended an AA meeting.

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This finally explained why I could not function like other people. I could only manage to work part-time at first but when the symptoms got worse, I had to give up work completely. I was constantly fatigued and felt like I had a hangover every day. I could not concentrate for long and my memory was dull. I have spent most of the last seven years lying down – and didn’t have the energy to care. During a visit to the NHS CFS/ME clinic I was handed a leaflet about the programme.

I desperately wanted to feel happy, stay well, and enjoy life. I also wanted to get back into horse riding and competing again, and to work again, or retrain. In terms of sports, I wanted to play tennis and hockey and go to the gym. I also wanted to enjoy interests like photography, shopping and the internet.

The evening of the first day of the course, I went for a walk along the beach and drove my car for the first time in years. I went in as a caterpillar and emerged as a butterfly https://sober-home.org/ ready to experience life. The first few days I was waking up at 5 am and bouncing out of bed, going for walks, swimming and shopping trips with my mum were brilliant.

The less Debs did, the worse she felt, but doing more just sent her into a flare up, and Debs eventually paced her self into a box that she thought she would never get out of. Recovery is unique, and everyone’s journey is different, so our approach is too. At Help Me Stop, we have helped hundreds of people find their path and recover from addiction. We work with you to find your way to recovery and to help you beyond our programme too.

I was able to keep going all day!*

Drew Barrymore is well known for her struggles with addiction. Barrymore was first introduced to drugs at the age of nine when her mother brought her to legendary New York nightclub, Studio 54. She says because of her exposure to an exciting lifestyle, she got to the point where nothing excited her anymore.

  • Before that I used to lead a very active life riding horses, competing and earning my living as an international groom.
  • The first two days were frustrating as it became more apparent that it would be down to me to help myself.
  • That was really a turning point, and I haven’t looked back since.
  • I am so pleased that I have done the course and the support afterwards has been amazing.

One of my happiest and most treasured memories was when my husband collected me with our daughter. If I’m getting any symptoms or if I’m having any negative thoughts I use the techniques. After 10 years with MS I was open to anything that could make my life better. When a doctor told me about Kate’s experiences with MS patients eco sober house boston there was no doubt. We know that that there are 100’s, 1000’s of untold stories that the general population don’t get to hear about, despite COVID Sheffield Recovery Forum is STILL on a mission to change that. We will never make your personal data available for marketing purposes to external individuals or organisations.

Do you want help with a drinking problem?

My wife and I went trekking in India for our 60th birthday and last year did a walking safari in South Africa for our 40th wedding anniversary. I have also been singing in a rock choir for several years and last year started a rock band for which we are working up to a gig in August. Since the end of 2009 I have been working part time for 20 hours a week, the rest of the time I work a 5 acre smallholding doing self-sufficiency, hard work but very rewarding.

If I didn’t speak out and get the help when I did, it could’ve been too late which is why it is so important that you don’t let your eating disorder go untreated. Thank you for listening to my notes and thank you for giving me this chance to express my feelings and thoughts on my personal experience of my eating disorder. Being open and honest allowed me to accept my illness and work towards getting better. When it’s so easy to be knocked down by setbacks, it’s crucial to remember how far you have come already. The Forward Thinking Birmingham team has helped me to understand that recovery is a process of self-discovery and self-acceptance.

  • There were five of us on the course with varying levels of severity of symptoms and different lengths of suffering.
  • That is something I simply could not have even contemplated before.
  • Robert Downey, Jr’s recovery is fairly well-known following his rise to popularity in Marvel’s Iron Man film series.
  • He says he’s spent over $20 million on heroin and cocaine over the last thirty years.
  • Following a severe relapse I was unable to work and was formally diagnosed with CFS.

I do feel I have missed out on so much time, but believe me I am going to make up for it! It was almost worse for them as they couldn’t do anything to help me. But now they no longer need to ask how I am, or comfort me when I’m not feeling so good, as I can now help myself. I was diagnosed with relapsing/remitting MS when I was 25.

Donovan’s Story

From the mid-1970s up to 1990, John continued to take drugs. During this period, John attempted to commit suicide several times. In 1990, John decided enough was enough and so he committed himself to his recovery. We now outline the stories of 15 celebrities who managed to beat their addiction to a variety of different substances. We’ve chosen celebrities of various different age groups.

recovery stories

By the end of the course I knew that for me, CFS was a thing of the past. The stories remind us that people with mental health problems are often living in poverty – trapped without the means to do everyday things. We see that it is hope that is at the heart of recovery. Getting help felt like the hardest thing ever; how was I going to regain my old life and be free with food again but make sure I didn’t gain weight? However, when I started receiving therapy from Forward Thinking Birmingham I learnt that my eating disorder was my enemy, not the friend that I made it out to be, and that it ultimately wanted to kill me. When asked “what do you wish you had known…” that you didn’t during the early months of her ED, I would say quite clearly… “trust your instincts as a parent”.

I tried so many different strategies and I gained relief with a few different methods but I could not seem to shift the fatigue and build the strength to be active and enjoy my life fully. The experiences, insights and reflections of the book’s storytellers are of value to people working in treatment and recovery support services, as well as to commissioners and policy makers. The book will help communities create empathic environments in which recovery can flourish.

I cannot use words to exemplify how desperate the whole situation had become. Before getting ill, I was a young professional woman who had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl. I was married, happy and ready to begin the new venture of motherhood. Four weeks after my labour, I developed a very painful shoulder. I then had some treatment from my pain consultant which really eased everything and gave me hope. Unfortunately, I was unable to sustain this and I needed nerve denervation more and more frequently.

We are frankly bored of reading about stories where celebrities hit ‘rock bottom’. We feel that omitting to discuss success stories is an injustice to many of these celebrities who now live their lives as role models for others who are seeking out sobriety. This is because these stories sell newspapers and magazines.