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My addiction..this time

Posted By uniformee98

"My addiction..this time"

About: CGL Birmingham West Heath Surgery

(as the patient),

Lydia it was lovely to speak with you the other day, I'd also like to say a big thank you to my Julia who's been amazing since the first time she came to the surgery. This isn't my first time in treatment but I'm going to do everything I can to make it my last. I left treatment in December 2021 and I was 100% clean up to August 2023, I will tell you what happened for me to relapse but I just want to say at the end of the day it was my decision to smoke no-one else's. It was me thinking one bag wouldn't hurt.

I lost a close friend who was 43 years old and he never used any drug's ever he ended up having a brain aneurism and passing away, I was so angry because he was just a normal guy who worked hard for his family, I felt lost and I knew what could comfort me so I went and smoked and it was brilliant I didn't care for a while until it was gone and then I wanted to keep forgetting and it started to snowball, it came to a point where I was struggling with this and the only thing I could do is message Julia and ask her to call me so I could explain that I'd messed up again and needed help.

I came to the surgery to see my doctor and Julia and I explained everything and from there they have given me the chance to try again and I'm very grateful for it. I could really hate on myself because I was doing so well but it's not going to change anything so onwards and upwards. Im now on my second week of supervision and im taking 8mg per day of Espranor and I'm feeling positive again and very very grateful to have been taken care of so soon.

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Responses

Response from Kerry Clifford, Quality and Governance Manager, Change Grow Live Birmingham, Change Grow Live 6 months ago
Kerry Clifford
Quality and Governance Manager, Change Grow Live Birmingham,
Change Grow Live

I am responsible for monitoring and improving the quality of the services we deliver.

Submitted on 18/10/2023 at 17:32
Published on Care Opinion at 17:32

Dear uniformee98

I’m Kerry, Change Grow Live Birmingham’s Quality and Governance Manager and I really value being able to hear and respond to people’s feedback. It helps us to check we are supporting people in the right way and make improvements when necessary. I would like to thank you for getting in touch with us about your experiences of accessing our support and for sharing your story.

I work alongside Lydia and it was good to read that you felt it was nice to speak with her the other day. Your kind words about Julia and the support you have accessed via your GP surgery are lovely. Julia has read your feedback and is very appreciative of what you shared about her practice, and this has also been shared with her Manager. I will make sure your GP Surgery get to read your feedback too as it’s important they hear you feel they have had a positive impact on your treatment.

It was great to hear that you received such a swift response when you found yourself in need of some support from our service again, and it is brilliant that you were able to approach Julia directly about this. It is really important to us that we have workers like Julia, based within GP surgeries, so people like yourself can access support near to their homes and have their own GPs involved in their care.

I was sorry to read about the loss of your close friend, and I can only begin to imagine how difficult this must have been for you, his family and the other people who were close to him. This must have been extremely tough for you emotionally, and can understand why you chose to smoke again for the comfort you knew it would bring.

I appreciate that lapses can get out of hand really quickly and escalate to a point that people need to reach out for support again. Lapses and relapses are tough setbacks in recovery and it’s so important that people can get in touch with us as soon as they feel able to, without the fear of being judged or made to feel bad about what’s happened. I’m so glad that you found the courage to do this, and that you received the supportive and helpful response that you needed at the time.

It sounds like you are back on track now, after a really difficult period. I hope you feel like everything you’ve learnt and achieved over the years to spend nearly two years out of treatment, hasn’t been lost and that when you leave treatment next time round, you’ll do so feeling even stronger than you did before.

I hope you progress through the rest of your treatment in a way that is manageable and in line with your overall goal, and I wish you all the very best for the future.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your feedback with us.

Take care of yourself.

Kerry

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Update posted by uniformee98 (the patient)

Morning Kerry hope you are well.

Thank you for your kind words It really means a lot. I can't thank you enough for the work you and your organisation do for people like myself. Your more than welcome to message me anytime I really don't mind I'm always willing to help, also if you can would you say a big thank you to my first key worker GAVIN please he was a good guy to work with as well.

I hope you have a great day best wishes.

Response from Kerry Clifford, Quality and Governance Manager, Change Grow Live Birmingham, Change Grow Live 6 months ago
Kerry Clifford
Quality and Governance Manager, Change Grow Live Birmingham,
Change Grow Live

I am responsible for monitoring and improving the quality of the services we deliver.

Submitted on 19/10/2023 at 17:05
Published on Care Opinion at 17:05

Hi uniformee98

You are very welcome, it was a pleasure to be able to respond and thanks again for reaching out to us in the first place.

I absolutely will make sure Gavin hears about your feedback, including his manager and I'm sure your kind words will be welcomed.

It's always lovely to hear good things about our staff, and it gives them a boost too!

Best wishes,

Kerry

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
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