Through working with Your Support, Tom has been able to stop drinking which has improved his physical and mental wellbeing.
After an accident, Tom began drinking heavily, eventually ending up in the hospital, where he was given Stockport Support Hub's number. At first, he didn’t know what to expect and found it difficult to admit he needed help. The pain was unbearable, his drinking was out of control, and there was so much to sort out that he didn’t know where to begin.
Having been diagnosed with PTSD, depression, and anxiety five years ago, his symptoms had become so severe that he couldn’t leave the house. He felt like he was falling apart.
Tom was referred to Your Support, where he worked closely with his Key Worker to take small but meaningful steps toward rebuilding his confidence and well-being. Together, they applied for Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments and referred Tom to START, where he was connected with an alcohol worker.
Over time, Tom successfully detoxed and has now been abstinent from alcohol for eight weeks, regularly attending Alcoholics Anonymous groups.
Recognising the need for additional support, Your Support referred Tom to Beacon Counselling, and he is now looking forward to starting therapy in the coming weeks. With his resilience growing, he feels more positive about the future.
Tom said:
“Thanks to my Key Worker I am coming through the other side of the tunnel. At my worst, I couldn't phone the Job Centre or pick up prescriptions.
My Key Worker helped me with these practical things. He was very genuine. It was the first time in my life I'd experienced anyone actually listening to me. He'd say, "everyone needs help sometimes". He's seen me at my worst, bawling my eyes out and super anxious. He'd never tell me what to do, just offer advice or say "have you considered about thinking about it this way?". He would tell me to take things one day at a time’.
He was very caring- when I was detoxing, I was struggling to keep any food down. He called the GP for advice and they prescribed me medication. He googled what sorts of foods were the best for me and what would stay in my stomach! This sounds like a small thing but it made such a huge difference to my health at that time.”
