It is my great pleasure to introduce Martin Preston, Founder of Port of Call, who has graciously agreed to share the story of his alcohol and cocaine addiction and the recovery journey he’s taken as today’s Face of Recovery.

Why share?

There is a great deal of confusion, stigma, shame and discrimination surrounding addiction and addiction treatment and recovery. Yet those who have the chronic, often relapsing brain disease of addiction and are in recovery live healthy, productive, engaged lives — the same kinds of lives as people who do not have this disease. But all the words and definitions and explanations in the world are not as powerful as the people themselves. To that end, we are grateful to the people in recovery who have decided to share their experiences. Please meet Martin Preston – Today’s Face of Recovery.

How did your addiction start?

I started drinking with friends aged 14. It felt like a rite of passage; everyone was experimenting with alcohol and cannabis. At the time, there was nothing abnormal about it, apart from the way those substances made me feel. Having been a very shy, quiet and nervous youngster, alcohol and drugs gave me confidence and courage.

By the time I was 18, many of my friends seemed to be growing out of getting into scrapes with drink. They would be playing sport at the weekend, so on the Friday night they would moderate their drinking in order to be productive the next day. At the time, I thought they were boring and would switch groups of friends, latching on to the group who, on that given night, were out to party.

Often I’d end up drinking with people I didn’t know. I remember my friend turning to me in the pub one night and saying: ‘You’re always drunk and it’s really boring’. Again, in my denial I brushed this off, thinking to myself: ‘at least I know how to enjoy myself.’

This pattern of denial and pushing people away continued throughout. It got to the stage where I’d go out drinking and would collapse and come-to in dangerous parts of town, with no recollection of how I’d got there and no means to get home. I’d have to call my parents, waking them up, and ask them to pick me up.

Sometimes they had to collect me from the police station. Sometimes I’d drive into town to go drinking, or to score drugs, and would get wasted and forget where my car was. In the sober light of day the next morning, my family would drive me round looking for my car.

I was introduced to cocaine and it seemed to suit me. It meant I could use it to sober up and drink more. At the time it felt like the answer to my problems but so insidious is this drug that it took hold of me and it wasn’t long before I was using every day.

Everything spiraled out of control over the next few years. I dropped out of college, started and lost various jobs, and lost all interest in life. My waking day was spent either thinking about using and drinking; recovering from the excesses of the previous day; planning how to get more; and doing what I wanted to do more than anything in the world – drinking and drugging.

The past filled me with shame. The scrapes, the arguments, the dread of what I’d done the night before. The future filled me with fear. My friends, most of whom had cast me aside, were getting on in life. They were getting jobs, getting married, getting on. I lived in a constant state of fear and the only thing that would relieve it was alcohol and drugs. Yet even drinking and drugging was no longer working. 

What was the turning point for you – what made you want to get sober? 

My sister got through to me eventually. She simply said the things that people had been saying to me for years. For whatever reason, I heard what she said. And it hurt. I cried for the first time in years. I felt something for the first time in a long time. I reached out and asked for help and a few days later I went to rehab.

What was your initial treatment?

Detox in a clinic and then primary rehab followed by secondary care.

Do you do anything differently, today?

These days the bedrock of my recovery is helping others. It’s a real privilege to work with the newcomer, especially younger people. I got clean and sober aged 21, so working with young people is something I’m especially passionate about. I attend the fellowship of AA regularly, do service, have a sponsor and work the steps.

What is your life like now?

It is quite simply the life I never thought I’d have. I’ve found peace and don’t need or want to use or drink. My world has become a lot bigger and I’ve found out who I am. Since getting clean and sober I’ve volunteered in a rehab, discovered the joy of mountaineering, climbed Mont Blanc, and travelled extensively attending fellowship meetings all over the world. I have a real connection to live and to love. At the start of the year, I launched a helpline – as part of an addiction support enterprise called Port of Call – for people who are affected by addiction and spend my time helping people get well.

Do you have anything you’d like to share with someone currently struggling with a substance abuse problem or an addiction?

However lonely and hopeless you may feel right now, there is a way out. Recovery is possible and even if every fibre of your being tells you that you cant do it or you don’t deserve it – there is hope. Start by talking to someone. It really is the first step in getting well. Give recovery a go. Even if you don’t believe it’s possible, do it anyway. It will be tough at first but stick with it. There is a whole new life waiting for you.

How about anything you’d like to share with their family or friends?

Living with someone who has a problem with alcohol or drugs is a confusing, frightening time. You probably have lots of unanswered questions and it may be that your attempts to confront the person have fallen on deaf ears.

There are two things to keep in mind. Firstly: it is not your fault. The person you are trying to help is ill. Addiction can happen to anyone, regardless of their age, their background, their upbringing or their circumstances. Secondly: you have every right to seek help for yourself. Start your own healing process and reach out to other family members who’ve been there. You are not alone and there is lots of help available.

What is the best part about your recovery?

The freedom.

Thank you so very much, Martin, for sharing your story, and CONGRATULATIONS on 11 years RECOVERY!

Today, Martin is the owner and founder of Port of Call, an addiction support enterprise that gives anyone affected by addiction in the United Kingdom a website, helpline, and the support of medical professionals and counsellors, to help find the right treatment at the right time. You can follow his/Port of Call’s work on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.