“Volunteers’ lived experience means they’re worth their weight in gold”
Volunteers are driven by the desire to use their experiences to help others. Treatment services couldn’t function without them.
The Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby has mixed memories for Dave. Five years ago he lay in one of its beds on the verge of death, having been put into an induced coma due to his alcohol issues. Now, he strides around its corridors like it’s his second home, chatting to the nurses before heading off to chat to people admitted to hospital due to their drinking. It all started when a clinician said he was struggling to get through to people who’d been admitted due to alcohol, so asked Dave to come with him. Dave says it was “evident from the word go that people felt more comfortable talking to me. I’m not ashamed of my past, I tell my story warts and all. I can say — I know exactly where you are and what you’ve been through and that seems to make people relax and open up.”
Across We Are With You, from the beaches of Cornwall to the wilds of Scotland, around 800 people each year volunteer their time to help support people with drug, alcohol or mental health issues. Like Dave, the majority have come through treatment themselves. All have a burning desire to use their experiences as a force for good.
Andy is proud of his bright blue naloxone hoody. When he wears it he struts through Redcar town centre, bellowing hellos to people across the street and fist bumping old friends. He volunteers at We Are With You in Redcar and Cleveland’s on their Peer to Peer Naloxone scheme, in which people with lived experience of drug use proactively train people in the community in how to carry and use the opioid overdose reversal drug. He sometimes gives out 5–10 naloxone packs in a day and says his success is due to the fact that “people know me and trust me. It’s my town you know what I mean? People know I’ve walked the same path as them so am not there to judge or have a go.”
Jon Murray is Executive Director of Service Delivery at We Are With You. He says “having people with lived experience within services is invaluable. Walking into a service and asking for support can be a daunting process for someone, so the presence of people who they can relate to and who are a living embodiment that recovery is possible is really important. Many of our volunteers go on to become paid members of staff. That’s something I’m really proud of. ”
Richard volunteers at We Are With You in Glasgow. He’s in his 70s now and even though he’s been sober for over thirty years he says volunteering still helps with his perception of himself — “I spent a few decades playing around with drugs and now I put those experiences to good purpose.” He often mills around the reception area, chatting to people waiting for appointments. He says no one conversation is the same. “I always try to engage with the person I’m talking to. I don’t stand with a list of preordained questions, I just want to get to know them and start to understand them.”
Kim volunteers in the recovery kitchen at We Are With You in Bournemouth. She agrees that the presence of people with lived experience was important for her when she first walked through the doors to address her drinking — “if you are used to managing your emotions with drugs or alcohol then it’s hard to imagine a life without them. So, for someone coming into treatment for the first time, seeing others who’ve walked that path already is really encouraging.”
Although she’s not a trained chef, Kim says “cooking for other people is something I’m very comfortable with.” They do a range of meals throughout the week but roast day on a Thursday is the most eagerly anticipated. She was originally on the daily programme but when that finished her “anxiety levels were still high and my self esteem was low so I wanted something to keep me involved.” She says she has spent a lot of her life isolating and volunteering has “really helped build up my self esteem, got me to know people and feel comfortable being in a community again.” Andy agrees. He describes how “when you are on drugs some people look at you and judge you, now people look at me and think he’s trying to change his life. My mum tells me she’s proud of me and it means the world because no one’s ever said that to me before.”
This desire to give something back reverberates throughout volunteers. Dave says this is because ”one of the biggest things that faces people struggling with addiction is an inherent lack of worth, a lack of self esteem.” He believes the work has such a hold on him because “when somebody says to me that some of the things I said really made a difference, there’s nothing like that feeling. I honestly can’t put it into words.”
Their commitment is such that they are continuing to support people during the current pandemic. Kim says “volunteers are having weekly meetings online and we are supporting people new in treatment, calling them two or three times a week to see how they’re doing.” Both Dave and Richard also volunteer for other organisations, with their work continuing at the current time.
As Dave says, “I put a lot of effort, time and money into my alcoholism. If I can put the same amount into recovery then somebody will be able to benefit from it. Volunteers’ lived experience means they are worth their weight in gold.”
If you’d like to find out more about how you can volunteer for We Are With You visit our website.
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