Trustee
After a thirty year substance misuse addiction in London, Billy decided that the time had come to change his life or die.
He kept wondering why he spent so much time in jail and street homeless, however never connected it to his drug addiction. In 2010 Billy came to Cornwall in the hope that he could get clean and stay clean. He was admitted to a detox in Plymouth where he spent six weeks then went on to a secondary rehab in Truro where he spent a further five months.
During that time he started to learn about addiction, the consequences and how it can impact so negatively in his life. He states he had no self worth, confidence and was terrified of living life clean. However with the support of staff, peers and my family things for started to change. Billy became a volunteer with We Are With You and at the end of his treatment found out that he had something to give back; others saw this in him as he was unable to see this in myself. Time and support was invested and he started to believe in himself.
During his time as a volunteer, Billy had the opportunity to start a Mutual Aid Partnership (MAP) meeting at Harbour in 2012. Since that time he has seen the most amazing changes and feels privileged to have witnessed them.
Billy was asked to be a trustee of Harbour, and was honoured and subsequently accepted the offer. He has been in recovery and employed by We Are With You as a service user engagement coordinator for numerous years and has not looked back.
