A cabbie for 20 years, self-medicating with drugs and alcohol, and living in a shed, Oliver knew the time had come to get some help.
Oliver was determined to overcome his cocaine and alcohol addiction – something which he had struggled with for two decades. He attempted recovery in the past and had failed. He said, “With recovery, you have to be all in. I really wanted to do it this time.”
Oliver was living in his family house with his mum and his brother. His accommodation was a large shed in the garden. He said, “It was not quite as bad as it sounds. There was a bed and a TV and a heater and a sofa in there, but it was a big shed. By the end of 2024, I just reached the end of the road. I wasn’t going through a crisis. I hadn’t hit rock bottom, but there were some health signs. My blood pressure was really high.”
“I was on a quest to get diagnosed and medicated for my ADHD because I’ve always known I have it – I’m a textbook example. I’d have all this noise in my brain, I’d be very hyperactive. And when I put substances in me for a brief period of time, it completely stilled all of that.”
Oliver was keen to get an ADHD diagnosis and be prescribed the correct medication. His drug dependence was intertwined with his health conditions and neurodiversity, and his housing situation only made it worse.
Oliver spent three nights at St Martins’ Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub, before he moved to Bishopbridge House while he was in early recovery. He later moved into St Martins House. Oliver is grateful for everything that St Martins has done for him. He said, “I was desperate for change. I needed help and I needed support. I couldn’t have done it without St Martins.”
Oliver set himself strict rules to survive hostel life and to protect his recovery. He decided to be friendly towards people, but not make any friends. He also decided not to use the shared kitchen as he knew he would struggle using a communal area. Oliver has recently moved from the hostel into a one-bedroom flat with his own lounge and kitchen.
He said, “I’ve been very disciplined with my recovery. And, after a few slip ups at the beginning, I’m almost a year totally abstinent now.”
Part of the foundation of Oliver’s recovery was attending the Connection group at The Matthew Project. Oliver describes himself as a person of faith and started attending church where he made friends and does a regular Bible study with a friend he met there. Fitness became a big thing for Oliver and he regularly attends the gym. Through his support from CGL, the behaviour change charity, Oliver accessed two courses, which helped him think about his plans for the future.
“I’d never known sobriety in my whole life. When that’s the life you’ve lived, everything has got that [substance use] attached to it… good memories, bad memories…everything. It’s really hard to picture yourself enjoying life, because the alcohol and drugs were always there as well. You go through a process of reprogramming your brain, and it doesn’t happen overnight. And it takes a lot of work. Sobriety has become my new normal now. And I’ve learned to love it.”
“I’ve never been able to live to my full potential and I’ve missed out on a massive amount in life. Although I’m not resentful of it, because in many ways it just is what it is, that was God’s plan for me.” Oliver has applied for an access course and wants to do a degree in social work at university. He said, “I’ve spent my entire adult life compromising myself. I’m not going to do that any more. I want to be challenged to the peak of my abilities.”
Oliver has always known his capacity for empathy and to make people feel comfortable. He worked as a taxi driver for 20 years (never drinking alcohol or under the influence of cocaine while at work, it was always happening afterwards) and he provided a passenger assistance service where he transported people with challenging needs and complex learning difficulties, easily building up a rapport and trust with the people he was working with.
“It was more than just sitting in the front and driving. One of these chaps I used to pick up had cerebral palsy and he was only just verbal, but I could make out what he was saying. And he was in an electric wheelchair and he needed a lot of support, but he was also fiercely independent. He was such a sweet guy, and he really loved me. He died young, and I wrote a message about him and his mum was so moved by it, she read it out at his funeral.”
Oliver is passionate about working with people who have been disadvantaged, and now that he is stable in his recovery and his housing, he is keen to make an impact.