“It gives me purpose and I like helping people”: Former addict returns to rehab centre to help others

A former addict has returned to the rehab centre which supported him to help other people on the road to recovery.

Jason has returned to Thomas House Rehabilitation Centre, located on Boniface Road, Lower Broughton, to return as a peer mentor to help others.

After finishing his programme at Thomas House, Jason now returns three times a week, taking three buses from his hometown, Bolton.

He said: “It’s a lot deeper than you’d imagine, it is looking at yourself, and all your past behaviours.

“I enjoy doing it. It gives me purpose and I like helping people. It just feels like coming home, a second home.”

Thomas House has been running in Salford since 2011. It’s founder, Father James McCartney, is a working priest. After seeing a woman searching in the bin for a legal high, he knew more could be done, which led to the opening of the rehabilitation centre.

Residents typically complete a 12-week programme during their stay. Tracy West is the service manager at the centre.

She said: “The programme is based on dynamic intelligence learning, so that’s challenging people’s ways of behaving and thought processes to support learning and development. So, if you’ve done something the same for years, and it’s enabled you to feed your habit, to change those ways and perhaps use your manipulative ways to a different advantage, can be really challenging.”

Another recovering addict named Joe is a returning resident. After relapsing, he is grateful to have a home at Thomas House. He explained: “I just wanted a safe bed, and luckily, they had me back, they gave me another chance.

“When you stop doing the 12-step programme and when you fall away from all the meetings and stuff, you end up thinking you’re on your own and you think you can get away with having a drink or so, but it just releases your addiction again and it’s very hard to get back.”

Tracy said: “If we can’t give them enough knowledge and support for them to question why are they drinking, what triggers it, they wont know when to say I’m starting to struggle. It is crucial to talk about it and tell people and, don’t leave it until you’ve picked up to ask for help.”

For more information on the help available at Thomas House, please call 0161 792 5982, or visit their website.