Charlotte’s journey

My recovery began with Via and i-access in May 2024, a few weeks into my sobriety. I felt lost, broken and very alone. I was scared, apprehensive and angry about what my future would look like without alcohol.

For more than a decade, alcohol had been the be-all and end-all of my life. It came first, and everything else fell by the wayside. How would life work now? What would it look like without the one constant I had relied on for so long?

I was supported from the very beginning of my journey as a service user, and that support continues today as I work as a peer mentor at Via.

With the help of my allocated keyworker at i-access, I learned how to build a recovery pathway that was personal to me. Through one-to-one support with my keyworker, as well as RPG (Relapse Prevention Group) and ERP (Enabling Recovery Group), I was guided, supported and encouraged.

There, I learned what “my recovery today” meant. I began to recognise the importance of strategies and techniques I could use effectively in my recovery. These tools remain central to my recovery toolkit.

Group work was especially powerful in my recovery. In those groups, I began to understand how to fill the overwhelming void left behind when alcohol was no longer my shield.

I learned how to face the fear of loss and of feeling lost. I started to build a new identity, form relationships and reconnect with others. One of the most valuable lessons I remember from group work was: “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety — it is connection.”

Now, as a peer mentor, I often share that message in groups and one-to-one sessions.

After I was discharged from i-access in December 2024, my keyworker referred me to the NOVA, Next Steps and Peer Mentoring courses. I completed all three courses and I loved every minute of them.

Together, these courses gave me real insight into who I am, where I am now and where I want to be in the future.

They gave me the opportunity and skills to explore my vision for life, my aspirations and what I wanted to work towards personally and professionally.

I learned the value of setting SMART goals and how to apply them in everyday life. I also realised that many of the skills I had developed during my alcohol dependency could be used far more positively and effectively in my recovery.

All three courses helped me build resilience, strengthened by the encouragement and empowerment I received from the team who taught me.

I explored ways to rebuild my self-confidence and self-worth, focus on a positive mindset and, ultimately, live a more balanced life.

I used all of this to develop the values that guide my recovery today.

Throughout my journey, my close family – especially my sister – have played a huge part in rebuilding my life. They were there at my lowest point and are now more present in my life than ever. Reconnecting with them has been one of the best parts of my recovery, and I am so grateful for the new experiences and memories we have created. They are cherished and woven into my life today. This part of recovery takes time, patience and perseverance from everyone involved. Trust needs time. Some relationships, including with my much-loved daughter, cannot be rebuilt yet, but there is always hope.

Today, my life is filled with connection, gratitude and hope for the future. It is a happy life.

I currently work as a peer mentor at Via, supporting facilitators in Relapse Prevention Groups, SMART treatment programme meetings and GLOVES. I have also supported Nova and Next Steps in my role as a mentor, and I have worked one-to-one with peer mentees.

My next step is to re-enter the workforce while continuing to evolve and learn. Thank you, Via and i-access, for helping me find the strength and belief in myself that I thought I had lost.

This is my story so far.