Sarah's story
Sarah is 24 and has been living with us at one of our youth projects since May 2016. She came to live with us from the YMCA in Mansfield. She had lived with them for eight months.
Sarah is 24 and has been living with us at one of our youth projects since May 2016. She came to live with us from the YMCA in Mansfield. She had lived with them for eight months.
Sarah is now free from addiction and in recovery, however, for the last ten years she was addicted to Speed, Black Mamba* and Alcohol. She would go through bouts of sobriety which would last for around 10-12 weeks but ultimately go back to using drink and drugs. Her addictions spiralled out of control after her then, five year old son was taken into care in 2014.
Facing eviction, she finally got housed at the YMCA in Mansfield and found a temporary job. During this time her mental health was poor and after a weekend of heavy drinking and substance mis-use Sarah ended up in hospital and lost her job.
This was a turning point for her, and a staff member from the YMCA helped her find accommodation at YMCA Burton through a rehabilitation programme. Sarah went on to join and complete the 12 week Princes Trust programme. With this placement she worked at Tutbury Castle helping with an archaeological site dig. Sarah enjoyed this immensely and kept in touch with her mentor who gave her a glowing reference when she applied for a job as a Healthcare Assistant with a local healthcare provider. She has proven she can turn her life around. After shadowing other shifts, she said she already finds the job and its environment very rewarding.
The move to Burton, she says, is the best thing that has happened to her as she needed to get away from Mansfield. It was also to help her reconnect with her son again, who is now eight and living locally with his grandparents. She sees him once a week and is hoping to spend more time with him now that she is feeling well again.
Sarah said although she is very independent and managed to sort a lot of things out herself she has really valued the support of her engagement worker Louise.
*Black mamba was a legal high and readily available in shops up until May 2016 when the Psychoactive Substances Act came into effect.
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