National Tackling Drugs Week: Downs and ups in the life of Brian

Jun 12 2009 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

He managed to stay clean for about nine months before he was contacted again by his mother, who was living in the North East.

Having moved up to be with her, his life spiralled out of control again.

After being convicted for two burglaries, carried out with a weapon, he was given a two-and-a-half year jail term.

But he believes being inside was one of the best things to happen to him.

“I stopped taking all the drugs and started to develop myself,” he says. “I became stronger as an individual.”

He started to play chess and study psychology, philosophy and sociology.

After serving half his jail term he got out and went into therapy.

He did some voluntary work for Lifeline in the North East and went on to do some part-time work with Teesside University, which eventually gave him a full-time job working as an analyst in the university laboratories.

Even being made redundant last year did not lead to the kind of regression that could have led back to drugs.

Now 32, Brian is well on the way to rebuilding his life.

He says: “It’s one step at a time, but I know myself now and I’m a much more grounded person. I want to build a career for myself now.”

Janice Morill, who was Brian’s drugs worker when he first walked into Lifeline and now works for the Kirklees Drug Intervention Programme team, said: “You see a lot of people coming through the door again and again, so it’s amazing to see how Brian is doing now. It makes you feel your job’s worthwhile.”