Meet the team

Work colleagues would go to the social club during their lunch, openly have a drink in the bar and then return to work because it was normalised back then.

I used to go abroad to confrences with work, everyone would always be drinking, you’d been seen as the odd one out if you didn’t have a drink.

My drinking habits gradually crept on me, it got to a point where I was going into work under the influence. I was sneaking around, trying to hide my drinking and ultimately had to go on sick leave from work.

After I got help, my head of department told me a family member had also struggled with alcochol. She showed empathy and could’ve sacked me, but didn’t, her personal expereince made the difference.

Recovery looks different for everyone, it is achievable.
You don’t have to hit rock bottom to get the help you need.

My drinking problems began through personal reasons such as mental health, loss of family members and stress.

I couldn’t wait to get home from work to have a drink. I thought my alcohol intake was normal and I wasn’t like the others.

From my perspective, my workplace didn’t seem to be that supportive or knowledgable about substance and alcohol awareness.

Workplaces need to ensure they have a sufficient toolkit to support individuals. This could include informative posters in the office initiating open conversations and demonstrating empathy.

CAVADAS and Recovery Cymru helped me reduce my alcohol intake and slowly, my health started to return to normal. Managing alcohol became easier through 1-1’s and support from my loved ones.

Volunteering with VAC and in an NSP, has kept me open minded and highlighted to me that it can impact many people from all walks of life. There’s a lot of stigma in this world and there needs to be more support and compassion.

In my last role I worked in recruitment and was really struggling with alcohol. To the extent where I would drink whilst in work, which was a new thing for me.

I had a good relationship with my manager at the time. When I did make her aware. I remember crying and telling her how much I was struggling, and I just felt really disregarded.

Before starting the role, I had been in quite a traumatic relationship and a loss of a family member. I masked it with work and alcohol and felt I was in survival mode.

I was hiding all this shame which wasn’t me as a person. I felt like a completely different person back then.

When I first spoke to CAVDAS, I had no plans to stop drinking. I thought i’d still be able to sneak it. But then I realised I had to be honest. That’s the first step. It gets easier from there.

Now i’ve got so much more clarity. I’m focused on my health I go to the gym and run. I volunteer with Voices Action Change where I’ve learned so much and met some amazing people. The support network is worth its weight in gold.

What was your journey like?

I was a drug user that tried to make sure everyone used clean needles. I used to pick up clean needles from drug and alcohol services to make sure others were safely injecting. I would also encourage others to get tested for blood borne viruses.

At the time, I remember moving in with a friend who was also a drug user. We regularly got tested together but it never occurred to me that she could be using drugs with other people. Nine times out of ten, my friend was always with me and when she wasn’t, I assumed she was out scoring. There was one time where we didn’t have any clean needles and mistakenly decided to use old needles from our sharps bin. I was diagnosed with Hep C after I started my recovery and hadn’t received a test until I found out I was pregnant with my second son. At first, I was petrified, my whole body was aching, I felt ill all the time, I was sweating and being sick. It was like my whole world was falling apart.

I had the old treatment which included 4 tablets a day and a stomach injection for once a week. This treatment took 6 months for me to recover and 3 months of follow up test after I finished my medication. I lost 5 and a half stone. I didn’t tell anyone that I was diagnosed with Hep C because I thought I’d be judged for it. The only people that knew was my friend and husband. I wish I was a bit braver to talk about it back then, but this was 10 years ago and there was a lot of stigma in my area.

What advice would you give to someone who has hepatitis or is newly diagnosed?

Educate yourself through the Hep C website and speak to peers who have experienced blood borne viruses. Treatment is so much better than what it used to be, the resources are so helpful in reducing stigma. My advice for someone with Hep C would be that you can have a life, free of Hep C and you don’t need to hide away from the world because of it.

What do you think people should be more aware of with hepatitis?

It’s not just drug users than can be diagnosed with blood borne viruses. Needle stick injuries, cutting yourself or engaging in rough sex can be some of the reasons why people become infected. Some individuals tend to think that it’s only a certain cohort of people. Yet, it can vary so it’s important not to assume.

What kind of support (medical, emotional, social) made the most difference for you?

The nurses were phenomenal, they were so encouraging and reassuring that I could complete my treatment and be cured from Hep C. They made me feel like I was in safe hands and that I was a human being who was worthy and capable. I recently met the same nurses that treated me through a conference we attended, they recognised and remembered me which was so heart-warming. I’m so grateful for their support because they made such a positive impact during my treatment journey.