Struggling with drug addiction and wanting things to change, Glen has turned his life around after engaging with the Cairns Alcohol and Other Drugs Service (ATODS) seven years ago.
Together with ATODS, Glen has developed personal outlets through the gym, a fishing group, and is now working towards his next goal - getting a job.
It was through the ATODS recreation program that Glen was introduced to the PCYC gym, the local fishing group and other activities such as equine therapy, arts and crafts, and a range of educational and support programs.
‘I started coming to PCYC gym and was enjoying it and got a membership. Now, I train five days a week,’ Glen said. ‘If I am feeling angry, I can take it out on that. I'm not bothering anybody but myself.
‘They (ATODS) understand, they don't judge, which I was a bit worried about at the start.’
Anyone from all walks of life can become drug addicted, ATODS recreation program officer Shaun Sellwood said, and consumers seek the help of ATODS Cairns in a variety of ways, from self-referrals, their doctor, word of mouth or through court link services.
ATODS support includes everything from managing the addiction to psycho-educational programs that give people a reason to get out of bed.
‘My role is to get people engaged with activities and to re-integrate back into the community. The opposite of addiction is connection,’ Shaun said.
‘There are so many programs - educational and recreational - but it's up to them with what they want to engage in and how they are feeling. It's not just about what I think, we ask the group as a collective.
‘Glen has found somewhere he can turn up and is accepted straight away, and he can be present in the activity.
‘He may not even be with us today and that's why I appreciate when he turns up to those activities. In the back of my mind that's always there because of what could have been.’
Visit the ATOD Service for more information.