John found himself sleeping rough after a relationship breakdown. “My drinking caused a lot of arguments, I would drink 16 to 18 cans a day when I was really bad. At first I didn’t sleep in a tent I just slept out in the open.”
One night while trying to keep warm, John burned his leg. “I lit up an old catalogue to keep me warm and I fell asleep beside it and ended up burning my leg.” With help from the rough sleeper teams John came to Depaul’s Back Lane Hostel.
It was there he met Depaul’s health nurse. “I was nervous as I had never been in a hostel before.” With the right care and support John decided to go into detox treatment.
“We talked about detox and I stuck to my word. Leaving Back Lane Hostel I was shaking, I didn’t know what to expect. The first week was tough, I just wanted to get off drink because I wanted my own door and a place where I could see my kids.”
“I’m doing great now. I just do my own thing. I’m not interested in drinking anymore. I’d love my own front door, my own key to come and go. I just have to be patient. I’m just taking it day by day and one step at a time”.
