At the time I was getting ill regularly and all other efforts to get clean from my 25 year drug addiction had been unsucceddful. I had reached a point where I was left with two options, die on the streets or get clean and start living again.

When I was accessing The Basement , I was still using . One night whilst waiting for the service to open. I met one of my mates who was back in Liverpool for the weekend from treatment in Bristol. I told him my situation and how I wanted to become clean, so he gave me a name of one of the drug & alcohol support workers at The Basement.

The next night I went to The Basement and met this key-worker. I told him I wanted to get clean and asked if he could help. He gave me an appointment for the next day. I told him my story and he advised me of wht I had to do. He told me, if I did my share all the Basement staff could help me in my quest.

It is now five months down the line and I'm a totally different person. I'm not totally clean but I'm very stable on methadone. I don't use Class A drugs anymore. I', slowly but surely getting on with my life. I now take one day at a time and I'm starting to live again. I have my family back in my life. I access all the drug services I ca. I do volunteer work in The Basementand mentor poeple who want to help me cook on a Thursday, which is food night.

I can honestly say I look forward to waking up if a morning and getting through the day without having to use class A drugs. This is the most stable I have been in 25 years of addiction, apart from the times I've spent in prison. I am slowly reducing my methadone so I can go into detox and the rehabilitation centre to do the 1 step narcotics anonymous programme.

I have put a lot of hard work into where I am today, but the Basement has played a very big part in my recovery journey, and will continue to do so. The staff are brilliant and I hold everyone of them in the highest regard. They have inspired me so much that I hope when my journey is over, I can give something back to the Basement and the people who access the service, if the chance comes before me to work there one day.

To all the staff that work there. I would like to say from the bottom of my heart, a very big thank you.