"Post divorce substance abuse and interaction with counsellor"

After a very rough separation from my wife and forced estrangement from my son I spiraled out of control. After having a mental breakdown and losing my employment within the mining industry after over 10 year career I succumbed to an extremely destructive illicit drug addiction.

After nearly five (5) years of self destructive abuse and multiple mental health diagnoses coupled with my recidivism in and out of prison, which I had previously no criminal history I began to engage with the lives lived well team out of the Kingaroy office, namely Yanina. I began to engage in drug and alcohol counselling post release from prison with success.

It was a slow process and an uphill battle along this journey coupled with the struggle of homelessness. This was extremely difficult on my self esteem and self worth considering I had owned 3 homes prior to my marital breakdown and had a large disposable income and this affected my self motivation to improve.

But with a continued drive to want to re-engage back into my sons life as a father he may be proud of, rather than ashamed of, in unison with the support, assistance and guidance from Yanina helped me with through; counselling, referral to external assistance, and practical support with supporting my application for housing. This and my subsequent desire to attend drug rehabilitation services was the catalyst to begin my now successful process of rehabilitation and growth. On which I place a huge amount of credit and personal thanks to Yanina for the numerous little things that were said that helped me to focus on the goal of abstinence and becoming once more the functioning member of society I had once been and knew I could once more be.

In comparison to the, I believe, nearly non-existent support services provided through the Dept of corrections and Community corrections that I feel only ever seemed to exacerbate my mental health and dependence issues further, without the support that Yanina specifically gave through the lives lived well organisation I seriously doubt I would be able to be at the place where I am now! 

I feel I owe Yanina a lot for my transformation and know that even though she would say she did very little I know otherwise!

I am now able to say that I have been clean for coming up to one (1) year and have relocated to another state. I have now re-engaged with my son and beginning the process of creating a relationship with him. I am now the Farm Manager of a large farm in my new state with gainful employment and living a healthy clean country life that I genuinely attribute in part to the lives lived well organisation, and Yanina specifically!

Keep up the good work and let’s all help as many broken and dependent people and families as we can, that I believe the government and society are only too happy it seems to see remain in their positions of substance abuse and sustained mental issues, that in my opinion at times seems there is no way out of.