"Ever since I was young my dad always suffered with a drinking issue. It’s not until I got older that I realised it was also affecting my life.
His drinking became worse when I joined sixth form, which is when it began affecting my day to day life. I was turning up to school exhausted, not just physically but emotionally. This was having an effect on my school work and learning. I knew it was no longer something I could handle on my own and I had to talk to somebody, but I didn’t know who to reach out to.
I spoke to my school and shortly they got me in contact with The Matthew Project. I felt very nervous to talk to somebody at the Matthew Project as I was always very apprehensive to tell people about my home life due to fear of judgement.
However, as soon as I met Sharon I felt instantly put at ease and she felt like a friend that I could talk to about anything. Sharon helped me to cope with the issues not only going on at home but also the stresses of sixth form.
Even when I didn’t want to talk about what was going on at home, she would always listen to anything I had to say and would always give me positive advice.
Throughout my 2 years with Sharon I have managed to cope with my dad’s drinking so much better and he is now receiving help and has quit drinking. I finished sixth form and now I’m at university and I don’t think I would’ve reached this point if I hadn’t received help.
I am so grateful for the Matthew Project but specifically for Sharon who always helped me over every hurdle I came across"
Do you feel like your worried about a family members drug/alcohol use? If so click the button below to find out more on how we can help support you.