Olly’s story
ALABARÉ offer drug and alcohol support services to individuals who are struggling with addiction and have faced homelessness.
Olly first arrived at ALABARÉ in December 2024, seeking stability after a difficult period in another dry house. “I’m in drug and alcohol recovery,” he explains. “In my early 20s, I started to go through some mental health issues and started to rely heavily on cocaine to be able to basically get through the day.”
Living with ADHD made things even more complex, and for a while cocaine gave him what felt like balance. But by his late 20s, that balance had collapsed. “I started to rely too heavily on it, and that balance started to fall out of equilibrium.”
Early Struggles
Determined to change, Olly entered residential drug and alcohol rehab for three months before returning to South Wales to try and rebuild his life, but old habits and old environments quickly pulled him back, and he fell into old habits again. Seeking a fresh start, he moved to Weston-Super-Mare and entered another dry house, again things didn’t work out. After relapsing, he was referred to ALABARÉ by a support worker who recognised his need for a more structured, compassionate drug and alcohol environment.
At ALABARÉ, Olly met Nita and Tina – two ALABARÉ colleagues he credits with playing a crucial role in turning his life around. Gradually, he was able to get sober, and with that stability and the team’s consistent guidance, his life began to “fall into place.” For Olly, that meant rediscovering ambition and returning to education. “I’m studying again because I fell out of studies when I was younger due to using and wanting to party.” Now just two assignments away from completing his Level 3 in Social Sciences, Olly has already secured a place at Bristol University to study a combined master’s in neuroscience and psychology.
Renewed hope
His goals are clear and determined: “Hopefully… my career progression plan will be into psychiatry. And after that course, I’ll be doing my PhD hopefully to become a doctor.” Olly values the balance of support and independence provided within ALABARÉ dry houses. “There is 24-hour support, but you don’t feel suffocated. You’re allowed to be your own person and find your own path within recovery.” Staff encourage residents to build a strong foundation, developing long-term drug and alcohol resilience rather than quick fixes.
As he approaches the end of his two-year stay, ALABARÉ is already preparing him for the next step – housing options, voluntary work, and building confidence for future employment. “They’ve given me the stepping stones in which to build my life… not being forced down any certain avenue, not being pressured to attend certain groups, but being given the tools to find my own recovery, find who I am as a person.”He reflects simply: “Really, that’s all thanks to ALABARÉ.”
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