The act of helping other people can provide you with a variety of health benefits. It’s been proven to assist those with depression, increases a sense of wellbeing and, for some, it can also help with recovery.

Anthony* is one of our involved peers at Turning Point and has been in recovery for quite a few years.

He has found that being involved and keeping busy helps him stay on track - "It keeps you focused, it keeps you occupied, it keeps you inline and it keeps you responsible!" says Anthony.

Getting started

His recovery journey began when he started going to a local community centre that provided him with support, he found them by chatting with an old friend who thought it might help. 

He had always been a very active person, in his professional life he had been a builder until his body couldn't keep up anymore. So after getting himself into a better place personally it was a very natural progression to help other people.

Lending a hand

His chance came during a stay at residential rehab. He had been there for a while, when he was asked to welcome newcomers and give them support at the start of their stay. He found it really rewarding and once he left there he decided to continue this work. "I needed to do something" says Anthony.

Since then he has run peer support groups, presented to organisations and been on various committees that aim to improve treatment and experiences for people affected by alcohol and other drugs.

The ups and downs of recovery

It hasn’t always been the smoothest ride for Anthony, like many others parts of his recovery journey have been a bit hit and miss. Sometimes he would slip up, but each time he learnt from it and has made progress.

Over time he has found being in recovery easier, ‘I know where my brake pedal is, I can pull myself up.’ says Anthony.

Anthony’s tips to keeping on track:

• Preparation - mindfully preparing for your day can really help keep you on track.
• Manage your Money - If you’re going out for the day by yourself, leave your bankcards are home, just take enough money to get where you’re going and to buy some food. Anything else can be too much temptation.
• Surf the Urge - Learn about urges and how to surf them - if you have an urge, you can surf it until you get home. If you still have the urge when you get home have a shower, that’s always a great way of clearing your head.

If you are interested in getting involved there a number of ways to get started:

• Be a peer supporter: We have launched our peer to peer forum and we are looking for peer leaders to help form the forum.
• Share your own story, it can help to write your experiences down, giving clarity about where you are and where you have been. Reading recovery stories can be really helpful for other people as well, as it gives them strategies and hope of what can be achieved.

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