'I drank 20 cans a day, now I help other addicts'

Kev Rafferty credits the Horizons charity for saving his life

"If it wasn't for Horizons, I'd be dead," says Kev Rafferty, who credits the drug and alcohol support charity for saving his life.

The former addict, who now volunteers for the North Yorkshire charity, is one of more than 2,500 people who have accessed treatment programmes through Horizons.

In the run-up to its 10th anniversary, the BBC has spoken to some of those the charity has helped.

Mr Rafferty says he was drinking up to 20 cans of strong lager a day, with one of Horizons' five North Yorkshire hubs helping him during his alcoholism.

"There is a lot of guilt associated with it," Mr Rafferty says.

"But guilt is an empty emotion, I can't do anything about that now."

Mr Rafferty only realised he needed help after conversations with his family, including one with his daughter.

"It still hurts, but all I can do is be a better version of myself today than I was when I was using substances," he says.

He is now part of the charity's aftercare team, which is the "cement" that has helped approaching 1,000 people stick to their recovery goals.

"It was very, very hard to change," Mr Rafferty says.

"But I say to people it is possible to recover from this stuff - if I can do it, anyone can do it."

Horizons helped Mark give up alcohol after he used to drink a litre of vodka a day

The charity, which started in October 2014, includes community services, treatment and clinical teams, along with one-to-one and group sessions.

Mark says he will never forget the day he burst into tears while in his mother's garden and told her he needed help.

His mother rang her GP, who referred him to the charity.

"She's really proud now, I feel a lot better," Mark says.

"With the amount of drink I wasn't sleeping properly, but now I'm sleeping between eight and 10 hours a day."

Information and support for addiction - BBC Action Line

At the depths of his addiction, he says he was drinking a litre of vodka and ten cans of strong lager every day.

"I just want to keep going and get back into some sort of employment," he says.

"I couldn't have done it without the support from the people here."

Sam Thomson (left) and Sarah Rogers, from North Yorkshire Horizons, are urging people to come forward if they require help

Sam Thomson, lead practitioner at the Selby hub, has worked in drug and alcohol misuse services for 30 years.

"We work with some of the most high-risk and vulnerable people in our community," she says.

"Our doors are always open, we don't judge people and we see people from all walks of life, addiction does not discriminate."

Sarah Rogers, a recovery coordinator, is urging people to speak up and ask for help if they need it.

"People who use substances can feel really lonely and isolated," she says.

"We're really passionate about breaking down barriers to make it as easy as possible for people."

Offering his best advice, Mr Rafferty says: "It is those small, positive steps in the right direction - do it day by day, or if you can't, hour by hour.

"You can put your head on the pillow and say, 'I've not drank today', and that's a good day."

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