'˜My fellow junkies were dying around me': How a Yorkshire charity helped change an addict's life

Ten years ago Paul was a chronic heroin addict, living permanently on the edge of death.
Paul was helped by the charity RAPt and The Bridges in HullPaul was helped by the charity RAPt and The Bridges in Hull
Paul was helped by the charity RAPt and The Bridges in Hull

In and out of jail, sleeping rough on the streets of York, he existed in a twilight world where the next fix was all that mattered.

His was a nightmare that seemed like it was never going to end. In Paul’s own words “it was hell on earth”.

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Fast forward to today – Paul has just heard that he has been awarded a first class honours degree at Hull University in criminology.

(Left to right) Lee, RAPt Regional Manager, Douglas Dunsmore-Dawson, Andy, Bal, Nick, The Bridges supporter, Charlie Forbes-Adam(Left to right) Lee, RAPt Regional Manager, Douglas Dunsmore-Dawson, Andy, Bal, Nick, The Bridges supporter, Charlie Forbes-Adam
(Left to right) Lee, RAPt Regional Manager, Douglas Dunsmore-Dawson, Andy, Bal, Nick, The Bridges supporter, Charlie Forbes-Adam

Seven years free of drink and drugs, he has turned his life around. He is justifiably proud of what he has achieved, but says, emphatically, that he couldn’t have freed himself from the chains of heroin without the help of the “utterly brilliant” charity RAPt.

Forty-eight-year-old Paul, now bright-eyed, fit and healthy, puts it simply: “RAPt saved my life. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today. That’s not being dramatic – it’s the truth. My fellow junkies were dying all around me. I was a lost cause, no self-esteem, no love and no hope.”

RAPt (the Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust) works to help people with drug and alcohol dependence, both in prison and in the community, overcome the grip of addiction and lead positive lives, free from drugs and crime.

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In 1992 RAPt founded the first drug treatment facility in a UK prison. Today they are the leading provider of intensive, abstinence-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes in UK prisons, and provide high-quality drug and alcohol services to more than 15,000 people every year within the criminal justice system and in the community.

(Left to right) Lee, RAPt Regional Manager, Douglas Dunsmore-Dawson, Andy, Bal, Nick, The Bridges supporter, Charlie Forbes-Adam(Left to right) Lee, RAPt Regional Manager, Douglas Dunsmore-Dawson, Andy, Bal, Nick, The Bridges supporter, Charlie Forbes-Adam
(Left to right) Lee, RAPt Regional Manager, Douglas Dunsmore-Dawson, Andy, Bal, Nick, The Bridges supporter, Charlie Forbes-Adam

For Paul the charity was a lifeline.

Born in Lancashire, with an alcoholic father, Paul moved to York when he was 19 – and immediately fell in with a bad crowd, stealing cars, taking drugs and burgling houses and hotels.

“I was a bit of a jack-the-lad, out to impress,” he admits.

“On the outside I was confident, but on the inside I was lost. I didn’t realise this at the time – life was a chaotic rollercoaster and I thought it was fun. My first girlfriend was a drug user too, so that got me deeper into trouble and addiction,” he explains. Inevitably prison followed..

“In the 1990s, prisons were full of drugs. No-one seemed to care. I was introduced to heroin in prison. I didn’t like it at first, but I started dealing it anyway. When I got out, I got heavily into it, injecting rather than smoking, and my life spiralled completely out of control.”

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Back in prison again in the late 2000s, Paul had his epiphany.

“I suppose I was exhausted and ready to turn my life around, though I didn’t know it,” he says.

“But it was when an ex-prisoner and drug addict came to speak to us at Everthorpe Prison in East Yorkshire about RAPt and how it was possible to break the awful cycle of addiction and crime, and that a drug-free life was both possible and enjoyable, that I finally saw the light.”

After getting out of prison Paul managed to get a 100 per cent bursary, funded by Yorkshire people, to attend The Bridges in Hull. The Bridges is a residential substance misuse treatment centre for men. It was established in 2004 and is the only residential drug and alcohol treatment facility in the UK specifically designed for offenders and they have developed working practices and partnerships that are unique in this field.

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After completing the six month programme Paul was filled with hope for the first time in years and went back to studying, first at the Northern College in Barnsley and then at Hull University, choosing sociology, psychology and criminology.

“I cannot say how wonderful life is now. I have a first class degree from a great university, a beautiful girlfriend, I’m reunited with my 23-year-old son and I appreciate the lovely little things in life every day,” says Paul. “I cannot thank RAPt enough.”

“Paul’s wonderful achievement is a brilliant example of the great things that can happen to people in recovery from addiction if they really grasp the programme at the Bridges,” says Charlie Forbes Adam, chairman of the Yorkshire Fundraising Group of RAPt .

“The Yorkshire Fundraising group are particularly delighted as Paul went through the Bridges on a 100 per cent bursary funded by our marvellous supporters.”

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Another person to benefit from the programme at The Bridges is Lee. Lee has spent a lot of his life running – from the police and from himself. Now he runs to raise funds for RAPt. He was part of a team who competed in the Hull 10K race recently to raise funds for The Bridges.

“My motivation to run the Hull 10k was to support RAPt because I’m passionate about the work they do and I want to give something back,” says Lee.

“I did a lot of running around in my years of addiction, running to get my drugs, running from the police, running from myself. Self-care and wellbeing were non-existent. I didn’t care that I was undernourished. Recovery has taught me about looking after myself physically and mentally, and exercise is all part of that. It’s particularly important for people like me who have lived a life of addiction. It’s all about balance. If there’s anything I can do to support RAPt, I’m in. It’s a life-saving charity.”

Lee was joined by long-time supporter of The Bridges Charlie Forbes Adam, along with RAPt staff Lynn Selby, Jason Moore and Douglas Dunsmore Dawson and former Bridges residents Nick, Lee, Bal and Andy, who lined up for the eighth annual 10k race. The team has raised nearly £2,000 so far.

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