Having once been a marine and mechanic, Paul hit a rocky patch 8 years ago and became an alcoholic. A spiral of self-destruction and depression followed, something which cost him his marriage, family and job and he hasn’t worked since. Stuck in a rut and with no sign of hope, Paul’s support worker suggested that he volunteer a few hours per week at NewStarts in order to give him a routine and get him socially interacting in the workplace again. So on the advice of his support worker, Paul joined our team for just a few hours per week … and within a month of volunteering, he’d chosen to increase his hours to two full-days per week. Paul’s become one of our most loyal and hard-working volunteers, so much so that we’re hoping to start him on an NVQ qualification in logistics, something which will help boost his chances of finding a paid role. Paul has made progress in his battle with alcoholism, something which he attributes to his time at NewStarts:
“I love coming here. I’m learning new skills, I get loads of support, it gets me out of the house, it keeps me out of trouble and it’s helping to reduce my drinking because I’m not bored for such long periods of time.”