I work as a sustained recovery volunteer two days a week. My role is to encourage people coming into our hub in the city centre to access ongoing support after they become abstinent – either through our 5 WAYS centre, the Leeds hub for people in recovery, or other local support.
I think it’s a key role because stopping using is tough, but staying stopped can take just as much effort. It’s so important people know about the help that’s out there in Leeds.
My role is really rewarding. It’s what’s keeping me abstinent. It’s like Professor David Best says – give a recovering addict a purpose and watch them thrive. I’ve got purpose now, and I feel that what I’m doing is amazing.
I’m nearly four years drug-free but I had 40 years in addiction and 24 years in and out of prison. I was not a nice person. My speciality was armed robbery. I started sniffing glue aged nine to cope with a really traumatic childhood. Soon I was using heroin and crack. Everything spiralled.
I’ve had so much tragedy in my life and every time it just led me to going and getting off my head. But not anymore. I don’t ever want to be that person ever again. This version of me is a hell of a lot better than I used to be when I was in addiction. I’m a lot less angry with everyone and everything.
What I love most about what I’m doing is spending time just chatting to people in the reception and waiting room areas. I know if I went back to using I wouldn’t be able to come down here, and I wouldn’t be able to see everybody. I’ve got a real connection with everyone here. And they say when I’m not here, I’m missed. This is what’s keeping me motivated. I’ve got a role, something I feel is important – and that keeps me going.
It’s so great seeing people coming in, looking just like how I looked, so unwell, and then later on they’ll come in and tell me, ‘Tommy, I’m off to rehab’. Seeing their journey is what’s so rewarding.
I always try to make people feel special. I let everybody know that I see them, that they matter. Because I know what it’s like. You feel invisible and that everybody looks down their nose at you. I’m all about trying to put a smile on people’s faces when they come in, and that’s another part of the volunteering role that I love.
I’m visible recovery for people. So many of the people coming in I know from my past life and – this may sound arrogant – I know I can inspire people. ‘If Tommy can do it, so can I.’ There are people I was homeless with coming in for support, and there’s someone I used to live in a lift shaft with. They’re seeing the new me, and I hope that’s helping them to feel that recovery is not only achievable but desirable too. That they can have a better life.
I’ve discovered so much as well. The Waythrough volunteering programme offers so many opportunities for learning. I do BBV testing now. You can do all the same training the paid staff can do, alongside them, which is incredible. Like last week I did some neurodiversity training.
I’m connecting with other Waythrough staff and volunteers up and down the country as well. My friends from rehab are now volunteering or working in other areas like County Durham and Calderdale for other Waythrough services.
The personal support I get here is massive as well, especially from Carys our volunteer manager and from my supervisor Becky Walker. Nothing’s too much trouble. I’m back here alongside Sarah Miller, the worker who helped me off the drugs. I’ve even had a high five from the Waythrough CEO Paul Townsley.
My physical health is poor from smoking crack for so many years, and that really restricts what I can do. So it’s unlikely I’ll be able to get into paid employment. But I don’t want to do anything other than this. It’s incredibly fulfilling.
Tommy Kearns is a sustained recovery volunteer at Forward Leeds