Steve first tried alcohol at the age of 15 and found it very difficult to stop. Fifteen was a difficult age for Steve because it was at this time he discovered that the man who raised him was not his biological father. “I used to drink five days a week, I was never home. Even
Anahera is a pillar of strength to her whānau and local community. Although it wasn’t always this way. There were many ups and downs. With real determination and grit, Anahera managed to overcome a problem with alcohol with the support of The Salvation Army Bridge programme. Alcohol was something that she just grew up with in her
Tracey came to The Salvation Army’s Bridge and Reintegration programmes to get support with her methamphetamine problem and her transition to life in the community after prison. Tracey experienced an early life filled with upheaval, which led her to seeking comfort and connection in a secondary family—the Mongrel Mob. Her involvement with The Salvation Army Bridge, along with The Salvation
Five years ago, Christina’s life couldn’t have been more different. She credits her life transformation to her own inspiring grit and determination and also to the support she received from The Salvation Army Bridge and Supportive Accommodation services. “I decided that I needed to get help or I would end up in jail or dead. That
Trevor, my partner and now my husband, was being harmed by drugs for nearly 30 years. Our life together was like being on a merry-go-round. My emotions were up and down. Never knowing when he was going to snap, when things were going to go flying or when the kids were going to be yelled at.
When Adam was five years old, he was placed into foster care where he experienced abuse. After this he spent his formative years in various foster homes, social welfare family homes, along with a Boys’ Home. “I was treated like a doormat,” he says. From there, Adam looked for a sense of brotherhood and family, because
I decided to go to The Salvation Army Bridge for help with my addictions. I was so scared, and the first two weeks were the hardest—others on the programme walked out. But I knew that if I wanted to get better, I was going to have to do whatever was asked of me. The programme
At the age of 50, Rawiri’s greatest regret is that he waited so long to do something about his drinking. At The Salvation Army Bridge I ended up having deep therapy. The outcome wasn’t good to begin with, because I felt a deep hatred for myself rise up when I realised what I’d put my
Two of my brothers introduced me to drugs and alcohol at the age of 15. It very quickly became my escape. It numbed my pain and my memories. Pretty soon I found it difficult to feel anything at all. I stopped caring. I worked hard and partied harder. I thought this was happiness: not a
I had my first drink of alcohol at age four, when I was at my grandfather’s house— I had to be rushed to hospital in an ambulance to have my stomach pumped. By the age of 12, I was sleeping rough under Brighton Pier in England. It was around then that I met my father for the first time—who immediately told
