From Addiction To Thriving
Reflecting On Another Year
It's hard for me to believe that I have been active in this community for over 8 years. The journey I have been on has been one of further growth and new opportunities. I would like to reflect first on how I arrived in this community.
Thr Journey Of A Multiply Neurodivergent Addict
A little over 10 years ago you would not have recognised me. I was heavily addicted to morphine, oxycodone, diazepam, lorazepam, and spice. Alongside this I was drinking around a litre of whiskey a night and taking any other drugs I could get my hands on.
I was overdosing multiple times a week, and had over 60 admissions to hospital in one year for substance use related complications.
It was September 2015 when I nearly lost my life. I woke up in resus, tubes and wires in me and around me. It was that day I made a decision; I wasn't ready to die. I wanted to continue my life.
I left the hospital, rang my mum and told her my intentions, then went to my substance use keyworker and asked her to book me into an inpatient detox. I was admitted to the local psychiatric hospital, and had a medically monitored detox over the course of October 2015.
Due to the quantity and dosages.pf drugs I was taking, not everything could be detoxed as an inpatient, I completed my detox in the community. I had my first day of being in recovery on April 7th 2016.
That day was followed by two weeks of intense withdrawal symptoms and decline in my mental health. Around 1 month after entering recovery from addiction, I entered a major psychotic episode and spent another month in a psychiatric unit. I remained delusional and hallucinating for 8 months.
It was following those 8 months that I discovered some facebook pages that talked about autism. Having been diagnosed Autistic in Novermber 2016 I was keen to learn more. I had spent much time thinking autism was the problem, and I am willing to admit that I had seen it as an illness that I desired to be cured or loved from me.
Those facebook pages made me think differently.
I learned to love myself again and began to write about my experiences as an Autistic addict, it seemed no one else was speaking to this. My writing was discovered by Emm Dalmayne, and she brought me into a world where Autistic people had a thriving online community.
That was the start of how I got to the place I am now.
Where Am I In 2025?
In 2025 I have come a long distance. I celebrated 9 years in recovery from addiction. I trained NHS trusts, local authority social workers, charities, businesses. I have worked with countless Autistic people one-to-one and launched new things.
I launched my NeuroHub community and the associated Mindfully Divergent Community. I qualified and registered as a mindfulness practitioner, published a new book, and most notably was a finalist in the national diversity awards; I then went on to be named on the Diversity Power List.
Perhaps more challenging has been my diagnosis of Liver Cirrhosis at the end of this year. At nearly 10 years in recovery I thought I had avoided major damage to my liver, but I was wrong. There is a price to pay for my past.
What i hope is that my business grows so I can be more financially stable, more able to support my family and my children.
I also hope I can keep my free resources accessible and support the Autistic community that ultimately saved my life.
Thank you to all of you fod the gift you didn't even know you had given me.
May.your new year brings prosperity and refreshed hope.