To celebrate Recovery Month, Acorn’s very own Maggie Lloyd shares her personal recovery story. I hope it helps someone!
In 2017, I accessed support for my alcohol addiction.
I had engaged with mental health services for a long time with many ill-fitting diagnoses, but I still felt frightened, lost, and suicidal. I made a phone call to my local addiction services to ask for help. Although it was a hard call to make at the time, it was all it took to kickstart my recovery journey.
After successfully completing my treatment program with Horizon and Acorn Recovery Projects, I was discharged. Following that, I became a volunteer support worker with Acorn; helping others in addiction. I went on to full-time employment within the mental health team where I had once received treatment. Here, I have supported over 50 individuals accessing community mental health teams using my lived experience to promote hope and tackle stigma.
Recently, I completed the first year of a foundation degree with amazing grades and spoke at a Determinants of Health conference alongside the head of mental health services; speaking about my role and my recovery which is something I never thought I was capable of.
None of this would have been possible without that first phone call back in 2017, and the amazing people that have supported me along the way. In October 2020, I celebrate 3 years of recovery. In June 2021, I will finish my degree. Who knows what else the future holds but I am excited about the next chapter.
I am very blessed to have the opportunities and relationships I now have. I have a job I love, I’m learning every day and I have a wonderful relationship with my son who is also my biggest supporter. I also have the love and respect of my friends and family but most importantly, I now love and respect myself.
We do recover.
