North Yorkshire man speaks out about drugs and alcohol problems
He's hoping to encourage people to seek help
A man from North Yorkshire says there is help out there for people with drugs and alcohol problems.
Adam Pike has turned his life around after battling his issues and now supports others and their family and friends.
He works in Harrogate at North Yorkshire Horizons, an adult drug and alcohol recovery service.
Adam says he was living and worked in Scarborough at the time of his problems.
He said: "The whole issue started around 2005 when I noticed I started using alcohol and drugs for sort of helping me cope with life in general. At that time I was still working in construction as a professional person but using it to numb emotions, feelings and events that were happening and just using it as an escape.
"It was only in sort of 2017 when it became a real big problem for me to a point where I had a mental health breakdown. I was signed off of work for quite some time and then on re-entering work, I was basically told that I couldn't drive anymore and I had to have my licence revoked until medical grounds.
"It was upon that point where I then thought 'I need to seek help.' I went to my GP and he actually said 'well maybe get some support' and signposted me to North Yorkshire Horizons. When we went through the process of me and my problem, which I didn't think there was one, it was actually quite a severe one. It was sort of on the verge of dependency.
"The thing is it creeps up on you because it's socially acceptable to drink. It's absolutely everywhere and we see it as having a good time when actually a lot of us can be using it for the wrong reasons and not having it as a good time. I still drink now but the difference of my drinking now compared to what it was is night and day.
"The episode in 2017 when I was working in Scarborough doing the bridge and we had to work one Saturday morning, it got to the point with me with other conditions in my life, I had planned to take my own life. I had planned to sort of not want to be here anymore and that's what lead me to then have some time in hospital for about a month or so.
"You're not alone. A lot of people who work at Horizons have had issues be it personally or with family members or friends that have had issues with addiction and misuse. It's a very isolated journey that everybody will go through different parts of their life, feeling different things, but are all on similiar paths."
Drink Drug Hub
North Yorkshire Horizons has launched a new website aimed at providing reliable harm reduction information about alcohol and other drugs.
The website presents an extensive but easy to use database of articles, videos and fact sheets. Resources cover everything from alcohol and prescription medications to illicit drugs like cocaine and heroin.
The organisation says anyone in North Yorkshire can also attend free training or awareness events, and practitioners can discover learning opportunities provided by other agencies across the county.
Sessions will cover topics like an introduction to drugs/alcohol and administering naloxone, a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdoses.
Prior to launching the site, people who use alcohol and other drugs, and experts in the field of treatment, recovery and harm reduction gave feedback on the content, effectiveness and usability of the website to North Yorkshire Horizons.
Louise Wallace, Director of Public Health at North Yorkshire County Council, said:
“Drink Drug Hub is a really important resource for our communities. It will help to equip people across North Yorkshire with reliable information and will also allow our communities to engage with awareness sessions delivered by experts, and practitioners working in our services to book onto and attend training to develop their own knowledge and skills.”
Lee Wilson, Regional Director at Humankind, the national charity which runs North Yorkshire Horizons, said:
"We believe that people deserve to have access to accurate and up-to-date information about the drugs they take, and that's why our team have worked so hard to create Drink Drug Hub. We're excited to launch this new resource, which we know can improve health outcomes in North Yorkshire, and potentially save lives."
Matt Bee, Specialist Training Facilitator at North Yorkshire Horizons and Drink Drug Hub project lead, said:
"We know that people are often overwhelmed by the amount of information available online about alcohol and other drugs, and it can be difficult to know what sources to trust. Our goal is to make it easy for people to access reliable information verified by experts, so that they can be empowered to make the best decisions for their own health and wellbeing, and that of their loved ones."
If you need information, advice or support with your own drug or alcohol use, you can also contact:
• North Yorkshire Horizons (adults – 08000 14 14 80/ www.northyorkshirehorizons.org.uk)
• North Yorkshire RISE (young people - 08000 14 14 80/ NY Rise – Humankind (humankindcharity.org.uk) directly for free and confidential support.