From the age of 15 I was using drugs and drinking. By the age of 16 I was addicted to heroin and before long I was in trouble with the police and on probation. My probation officer and key worker suggested that I try Amber.

My first few weeks at Amber were hard but at the end of my first month I started to relax and started thinking about my life. The whole structure of Amber was good, getting up in the morning, cooking in a team, doing activities within a team who became like my family. Having people to talk to who had been through the same thing. The staff were cool and there was always someone to talk to if you had a problem. Amber got me involved in outdoor activities and voluntary work, which in turn helped me get my confidence and motivation back and helped me communicate with people.

I was in Amber in 2000 and I’ve been working abroad for the last eight years years. I still have bad days but here in France I have a mountain I can go snowboarding on and that is a much better buzz then me spending £100 on drugs and spending the whole day inside. There is so much more to life than doing drugs. Getting clean and learning to live a normal life is the hardest thing I have ever done but I have done it and I can now look at myself and know I am trying my hardest at living a good life. I learnt so much from Amber and its staff. I am still in contact with all the people I was close to at Amber - they were there for me when I was at my worse and I know that we will always stay friends.

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