Matt, 21, grew up surrounded by addiction. His mother and siblings had substance misuse issues which meant an unstable and challenging home life. Bullying and an absent father only added to his difficulties.
“My childhood was a rough patch in my life. My mother and siblings were addicted to drugs and alcohol. When I was seven, I made my first suicide attempt because I just didn’t want to be with the family that I had.
I used to get bullied which had a massive impact on my life and I became involved in a lot of drugs. But I am now clean. I am so much happier as a person and I feel much better now I don’t do drugs. The Beacon is a safe place, everyone here is free of drugs so it helps me to stay clean.
I have surprised myself with how much motivation and confidence I now have. I am proud of myself for that. I now have a job, I’ve met great people and love interacting with the customers.
I really value the advice I have been given by staff at The Beacon. They have taught me to put myself first more. The support I have received here is ten out of ten.
I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in things I love doing like going to the gym, thanks to the free passes we are given. Recently, we had a great fishing trip to Sparsholt College.
I want to become a Mental Health Support Worker. I’ve tried to leave this world many times but something is keeping me here and I feel like it is because I need to help people. That’s where I see myself in the future. I want to give back to this world.”
Matt recently moved into one of our offsite properties on his journey to independent living.
