Local resident supports people suffering with drug and alcohol addiction
- 25 Jul
Stroud resident supports addicts after rehabilitation.
Five vulnerable adults have settled into a residential house in Stroud after a local resident decided he wanted to do more to help and support people in the area who suffer with drug and alcohol misuse.
Dave Guy is a founding member of Marah, a Christian charitable organisation committed to supporting vulnerable and marginalised adults in the Stroud District, helping them to move on from their addictions and circumstances. Just over 18 months ago, Dave decided to then set up the organisation Ebenezer, a Christian charity which helps people in recovery from addiction to reach their true potential.
Dave Guy set up Ebenezer when he noticed that there was a lack of support for addicts after their initial rehabilitation treatment. Dave said the following:
Just because they have stopped drinking or taking drugs does not mean that they are completely cured and that they can just go off and find a house and a job and carry on with life as normal. But currently there is nothing really available in the Stroud area to give that extra bit of support to recovering addicts to help them move on and back into society.
When we founded Ebenezer we always knew that we wanted a house so that these adults could feel safe and at home without the temptation to relapse. But we needed to find the perfect location.
As Ebenezer is a dry house helping people with addiction problems , the residents are not permitted to drink alcohol or take drugs on the premises.
It was the absolute perfect location for what we needed. The view is beautiful, it is quiet and away from the town centre and the neighbours are really supportive of what we are trying to do.
Ebenezer House is a nine month programme in which all residents must complete compulsory courses in health and hygiene and relapse prevention. Residents are also expected to be involved in the gardening work as well as taking part in the Alpha course - which explores the basic principles of Christianity.
Lisa is a recovering alcoholic living at Ebenezer House:
I think the best thing about the programme is that even when we are ready to leave here and be independent we know that the support will never stop. The people who run this house are great. They put their heart and soul into everything they do in order to help everyone who lives here.
Source: Stroud News
Image source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1418156
Related articles
- 24 Jul
Closure of London substance misuse clinic
Over the past two years the clinic has lost around £600,000 a year which renders the service "financially unviable". Trust chief executive Claire Murdoch told the July board meeting that, while she...
- 30 Apr
Young people being treated for substance abuse
Freedom of Information requests have revealed hundreds of young people are at risk of becoming addicts or have begun abusing alcohol and substances themselves, leaving many charities requesting...
- 28 Feb
Legal highs summit to be held by government
Norman Baker, the Home Office minister, has said that the substances were a "very serious issues" for public health. He added that they were dangerous as people buying the hallucinogenic drugs did...
- 21 Nov
OECD: Antidepressant use on the rise
Figures show that doctors in countries with more wealth are writing prescriptions for more than one in ten adults. Iceland, Australia, Canada and other European Nordic countries are leading the way,...
- 30 Sep
NHS could supply drugs to addicts says UK police chief
Mike Barton, one of England's most senior police officers, has called for class-A drugs to be decriminalised and for the policy of outright prohibition to be radically revised, reports the...
- 19 Aug
Chief Medical Officer Says Drug Addiction Is Not A Criminal Issue
She said:"Of course it's a medical problem, I mean addiction is a medical problem, and it becomes a public health problem and then our society is choosing to treat that as a criminal justice...
- 13 Aug
'Smart Drug' Fears Expected As A Result Of Rise In ADHD Prescriptions
Officials at the watchdog said:"Health workers should carefully monitor the drugs because they have a potential for diversion or misuse."There has been a 56% rise in the administered prescriptions...
- 22 Jul
Substance Misuse Service Raises Awareness
Rotherham's 'Know the Score' provides drug treatment and relapse prevention for children and young people up to the age of 19 who have problematic drug and alcohol use. The service is multi-agency...
- 02 Jul
Salvation Army Plan to Tackle Substace Misuse
The Salvation Army today announced an expansion of their social work, to increase outreach work to support communities with alcohol dependency and its effects on health, families and futures.The...
- 30 May
75% Rise in Prescriptions for Alcohol Dependency
A government report shows that the number of prescriptions given to people for alocohol dependency has risen by 75% in the last 9 years. The Health and Social Care Information Centre study shows...
Responding to the DWP Consultation: Housing Benefit Reform - Supported Housing "Sincere thanks to Michael Patterson for an excellent presentation on the HB Reform issues in Leeds last week, and for all the very helpful info and links. I do intend to respond on behalf of our organisation, Caring For Life, but feel that Support Solutions' response is excellent." E.S. - Caring for Life
