The Tides of Change
At our Community Voice in Chelmsford on Friday 21st March, we asked two of our volunteers to share what ‘The Tides of Change’ meant to them. Here’s what Debbie and Kath had to say:
Debbie
“When I was asked to do this talk on the tides of change, I immediately thought of the sea. I thought of the sea at Southend and I thought of the sea in the Seychelles. I thought about how they are the same, but so so very, very different.
That’s the same with change, it's different for everybody.
Some people cope with change much better than others. I, for one, am not very good with change. I've had to learn in my recovery to handle it a lot better than what I used to.
Change is also like the waves. You know it's coming, you can see it coming. Some days it feels like a tsunami, other days there are calm and peaceful waters, but - most importantly - you always come out the other side of that wave.
The biggest change for me personally is thinking back to how totally lost and broken I was to the person that I am today.
I'm proud of who I am now. It hasn't always been easy, but it has always been consistent. I've always reached out for help if I've needed it - and helping others has been a huge part of my recovery, which is why I volunteer for Essex Recovery Foundation and Open Road.
If you’re currently learning to deal with change: ride that wave, stay calm and reach out if you need to. Essex Recovery Foundation will always be there with a life buoy and Open Road will be there with a raft.
We do recover and we do get better - I'm living proof of it”
Kath
“About 15 years ago, I was driving home into Burnham with the radio on full blast as always. On came Robbie Williams singing “Feel” and I really listened to his words, the pain, what he was looking for and what he needed.
I realized that there needed to be change for me. I loved my family but not my life and tears were running down my face. How could I change things again? I'd already had the courage to change my life a few years before which involved leaving my home and my children, and here I was at 50 years old knowing another huge wave of change was about to engulf me… and I was scared.
Was it in me to do it all again? I didn't know fully.
I had to really address my alcohol dependency in that moment. I just knew I had to find who I was and not what someone else wanted me to be.
From there, I embarked on my next tide of change. It wasn't overnight and I struggled to find the help I desperately needed. So much has changed within the drug and alcohol services since then, and it's a real privilege to be a part of that ongoing change as a trustee and volunteer for Essex Recovery Foundation.
I recall in the early days of my recovery coming across those who had been in recovery for 10 or more years and thinking “wow, it must be so easy for you now”… and boy was I wrong. Recovery is forever changing and challenging as we grow and develop into an amazing new life - no matter what that new life brings - but hopefully (and eventually) a change for the better.
Now, when I hear that Robbie Williams song, it has a slightly different meaning for me.
My life has truly changed and one of Essex Recovery Foundation’s volunteers recently said something which confirmed it for me: “whatever, or whoever, it is out there who is guiding me, they have plans for me… and that is to help and support others to realize their own goals for change”