Last week, the Forward Trust launched a new national campaign aimed at helping people who have had problems with drugs and/or crime and are struggling to turn their lives around because of stigma and negative stereotypes.
The #MoreThanMyPast campaign is based on showing that ex-offenders and people in recovery not only want to change and succeed – they can and do. The main campaign strategy is to share stories of people from all walks of life – helping to show the inspirational truth about those who have overcome addiction and offending.
The campaign launched with a bang last week with the publication with more than a dozen life stories from people who have overcome problems with alcohol, drugs and crime. Examples were of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and social classes.
You can see two examples in the video clips below.
The first is the life story of Tony Adams, ex-Arsenal and England footballer. Tony struggled with alcohol addiction for 12 years, and was imprisoned for four months in 1990 after crashing his car while drunk. Tony explains the impact of his imprisonment and addiction on his family, how therapy helped him overcome his addiction, and how his life has changed as a result.
The second tells how Patrick Lawson turned his life around and was voted London’s happiest bus driver after a childhood in which he witnessed horrendous domestic violence and then became involved in drugs and crime.
Readers can get involved today by sharing your story, joining the movement, or finding help for yourself or someone you know.
3 responses
Hi Russell I have been reading DS Daily for some years and have worked in the AOD field in Perth Australia-I have read a few of your articles and have worked with prisoners when they came into the detox. unit in Perth-I particularly liked More Than My Past I got a bit emotional after reading Tony Adams story and it is fantastic to see how well he has done and Patrick Lawson as well.For me it is great to read stories of recovery of people from all walks of life and trying to lift the stigma of people who use or drink or any addiction for that matter.
Regards
Michael Scott
Thanks for taking the time to get in touch, Michael. I too am very impressed with the thoroughness of the #MoreThanMyPast campaign and its commitment to inspire and motivate by including such a large number of “ordinary people” as well as those better known.
I visit a number of women and men serving a prison sentence in my capacity as a family counsellor. In one prison that I know well, there are many young women who are addicted to drugs outside and can often obtain what they need inside.
The task of helping these women recover from their addiction and starting to believe they can build another life must surely start while they are serving their sentence. How much help can your organisation offer at that stage?