Recovery has shaped every part of Ste’s life.
Today, he manages Acorn’s Community Team in Manchester, but there was a time when he never thought that kind of future was possible.
Much of Ste’s early adult life, from the age of 18 to 38, was spent in and out of jail. After being expelled from school, he had no formal education and believed his past would always count against him.
Things began to change when he entered residential rehab in 2009. There, he met an Acorn employee he knew from prison. Seeing somebody with a similar background working and helping others showed him that a different future was possible.
For Ste, recovery became about reconnecting with people, finding purpose and building a future.
In his own words, he describes it as: “A personal journey of healing, growth, and reclaiming a meaningful life that is defined entirely by more than just stopping: It goes beyond quitting a substance, it is about building a life I could enjoy.”
It also meant rebuilding relationships and learning to be kinder to himself.
“Connection; healing relationships with loved ones, and finding a sense of purpose. Self-kindness; learning self-forgiveness and accepting that progress includes hard days,” he added.
After completing rehab in 2010, Ste chose to build a new life. He volunteered with Acorn, studied for a Health and Social Care Diploma, qualified as a counsellor and eventually progressed into leadership.
Looking back, he sees his lived experience as one of his greatest strengths.
“I have empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence which gets through to anyone I work with as they feel I’ve been there and not just reading out of a book,” he explained.
Away from work, the achievement Ste is most proud of is rebuilding his relationship with his family. His daughter was 14 when she came back into his life. She is now 30 and has two daughters of her own.
“My daughter and two granddaughters are my world,” he said.
“I’m blessed through recovery, I have been consistent for coming up 17 years and it has not all been easy. My daughter lost her son Kazan at 6 weeks old, my grandson.
“I was able to be the dad I was not for her.”
Professionally, he is proud of how far he has come since first entering Acorn as a client.
“I excelled through an organisation believing in me and supporting me to qualify as a counsellor and work for the organisation I came through,” Ste said.
“It means the world to me still, 17 years on. I am grateful and now, to be a manager of our Community Team in Manchester, is stuff from a dream.”
