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Go to P3 HousingTurning to drink to cope with the lockdown, Harvey noticed his world quickly falling apart. With P3 support, he is now hopeful for his future.
Talking to Harvey in P3 The Gables reception room, he has a massive grin on his face – he has just moved into his new flat. His support worker sticks her head in to say hello, and they are joking about how he is redecorating. Luckily, as a self-employed painter and decorator, Harvey can redesign his flat exactly as he imagines. Something which would have felt unreachable a few years ago.
In lockdown, Harvey’s drinking ‘got out of control’ when the pressure of job cancellations hit. Due to the COVID living restrictions, he was left unable to work and with no opportunity to find alternatives. He recalls, ‘with three kids, I was struggling to put money on the table, and the heavy drinking started from there.’
One thing led to another, and Harvey was caught drink-driving subsequently losing his driving license until 2027, leading to a breakdown in his relationship and family life.
Ending up on the streets, he turned to spirits – ‘I just needed to black out, the instability and the cold meant it was impossible to give up drinking.’ Harvey met P3 for the first time when he was shivering with cold, having not been inside for a full week, drink was his only source of warmth.
From there he started receiving support from P3, gradually making the transition to the Gables from the streets. Due to the severity of his drinking, Harvey had to stay in temporary accommodation while he stabilised his habits so he wouldn’t impact the progress of other tenants who were similarly recovering. This process allowed him to take his first steps on his journey to abstinence.
Feeling helpless, I thought I was too far gone. I didn’t understand that I could be helped – that’s what is so good about The Gables, they leave you to adjust and then give you the support when you are ready.
At the Gables, Harvey received accommodation and life skills alongside specialised support for alcohol misuse, which he says without, ‘I wouldn’t be here today.’ The support and the small community of the Gables allowed Harvey to rebuild his life starting with the foundations of his health. He recalls how he made friends whilst living in supported accommodation, providing a community when he felt most alone.
The stability of shelter allowed Harvey to get his drinking under control, smiling, he says ‘I’m now coming up to six months sober.’ With this he has managed to build a lot of bridges within the local community, getting his work life back on track as a painter and decorator.
Soon after, Harvey secured a flat that will offer him the stability he needs to build a new foundation for his life. For him, ‘the freedom of possibility’ is the best thing about his future.
Harvey’s parting bit of advice for people in a similar situation to what he was in: ‘if you’ve started drinking – don’t ignore the signs.’ He went on to say you should look at the little things you notice rather than waiting to recognise the wider problem. Something he’ll carry with him moving forward.
His future involves staying sober, focusing on regrowing his business and ‘giving a little back to P3.’ He is currently peer reviewing, meaning he can directly use his own experience to help others working through their own situations.
He hopes in the new year to extend this new stability into his family life, regaining more control over how often he can see his children. He recalls the hardest part of his journey being the unknown surrounding family life, now he feels back on track, Harvey says it is ‘just a waiting game’ for everything to fall back into place.
Harvey was supported by P3 at The Gables, an accommodation that specialises in substance misuse support, you can find out more here.
