Greg’s Story: Faithworks Recovery – Hope in a Better Future

“One day you will go on to help someone. Don’t think you are defined by your actions.” – Faithworks Recovery.

Thrown out of the family home at the age of 16, Greg had to fend for himself. He explained: “I moved from place to place, got in with all the wrong crowd – to where I am now, I never imagined I would be like this. I thought, you’re gonna be in trouble. You’re never going to have a happy life. 

By the time I got to 15, there was no parenting at all where as there are rules here [the Faithworks Recovery Day] – if you turn up drunk, you can’t come in.” 

When asked how that makes Greg feel, he replied:  “Good. Imagine if we’re all sitting in here and somebody came in here and they were stoned or drunk and we’re thinking I want another sober day today. If you’re trying to stay sober or stay off drugs… It would be unfair if someone came in under the influence.

But with Faithworks’ Recovery it’s not like you’re on your own – there’s support there if you want it.  If you don’t want it, then that’s up to you. 

When we started on our journeys of using and abusing, there was no support when we were young at 17 years old. There was no help. Here’s the world, here’s what the world has to offer and it was like you sort it out. And if you’ve got parents like mine, they don’t really care what you do to be quite honest. 

I go to church now and I’ve been baptised. I go to meetings, Recovery Walks, Bible studies, some nights we do STAR (Life Course). We try and keep ourselves busy – for me, if I’ve got money and I’m bored that’s when I use.

Because at the time I was well bad. I would get up in the morning, first thing I would think I must have a drink now! When the pandemic hit. The old Greg would be like, I’m going out anyway, I don’t care. But now I thought, no you mustn’t go out. But the problem was when you did go out, I would buy a bag full of food and instead of turning right I was turning left – to the off licence. 

I’ve got a conscience now. Most of the people I used to hang around with got no conscience, no perception of what they’re doing. If you’re hanging out with a load of people who just want to use drugs and get drunk, then you know…  but if you’re hanging out with good people, it’s going to rub off on you. You’re hanging around with people that want to change, want to be different.

When asked what the best thing about Faithworks’ Recovery is, Greg replies: “It gives us hope, that we can change. Nobody’s perfect and there’s going to be days where you do use or you end up doing something and you wish you hadn’t. 

Greg has formed friendships with others at Faithworks Recovery – “They’ve all been through sort of like the same things I have and we support each other. If one of us wants to use today, we know [what it feels like]…

“The Storehouse is good for me because it gives me something to get up for in the morning.”

Through Faithworks, Greg has started volunteering at The Storehouse three days a week. Greg said: “The Storehouse is good for me because it gives me something to get up for in the morning and something to do so I’m not just sitting at home. You can come home and think I’ve done something good today. I haven’t been lazy and sat in my flat and just wasted the day.

It proves my parents totally wrong because they said you will never do anything. One of the guys here told me “One day you will go on to help someone.  Don’t think you are defined by your actions.”