Recovering addicts urge others to seek help

Demelza Cremin, Brendan Kilbride and Jess Fry ahead of the recovery gathering

A woman who overcame addiction and now mentors recovering drug users and alcoholics has shared how sobriety changed her life.

Jess Fry, 42, from Robinswood, spent a month at the residential rehabilitation clinic Abbeycare Gloucester, in Minsterworth, after years living as a "functioning alcoholic".

She returned to Abbeycare a year after her stay to help others at the clinic's annual Recovery Gathering.

"When the opportunity was presented to come on board as a peer mentor, I just grabbed it and it's taught me even more - life still shows up for me every day and I can live it healthily now," she said.

Ms Fry said a year ago she had what appeared to be a "perfect life" with a loving and supportive family.

"Before I went into Abbeycare I was drinking about three bottles of wine a day," she said.

"It was despair and desperation that took me into Abbeycare."

She said a history of alcoholism ran in her family.

"I had a shining example of alcoholism in my father and my dad passed away next to me on my four-month sobriety anniversary and I carried his coffin on my fifth month," she said.

"If you needed an example of alcoholism, I had it then... I was able to get through what I thought would be one of the hardest times of my life in losing a parent in a healthy way."

Ms Fry describes herself as a "yet person" - meaning she had not lost everything yet - but she believed she would have had she not started recovery.

"I'm going to break that cycle. My family are definitely coming along the journey with me," she said.

"A year ago today I didn't want to wake up tomorrow, but now I do, and for me that speaks volumes.

"We are given a choice in addiction recovery every day - 'do you want to live or do you want to die?'"

Abbeycare aftercare practitioner Brendan Kilbride said it was "imperative" for people in recovery came together.

"It's extremely daunting to reintegrate back into the community, back into your home life, but connection is key, we believe - one person sharing with another person, their experiences," he said.

"Transparency is key, there are a lot of barriers to recovery; there's a lot of shame, there's a lot of guilt attached, but as we journey through our own transition we should be proud of changing our lives, and changing other people's lives."

Demelza Cremin says the process of recovery has given her a new purpose in life

Demelza Cremin, who attended the recovery gathering, said: "These people taught me how to love myself.

"It's a beautiful thing, they've supported me through the whole journey.

"I've found faith, hope, courage, integrity and I'm responsible and accountable today. I have purpose."