In this newsletter, you will read the brave account of a former drug user who is now nine months into their recovery. This man, who has asked to remain anonymous is receiving support from Vita Nova, the Boscombe-based arts charity who work with people in recovery from addiction. You can read more about Vita Nova here.

Please take some time to read his story and the powerful message he has for young people.

“I come from a very drug orientated family. My mum and stepdad were both heroin addicts. When I got into it, I wasn’t trapped, no-one approached me, I just saw this new guy around town and knew automatically what he did. At this point I was 13 – very, very young – and I had already done some stuff for my stepdad dealing heroin. This was already my world.

“I think because of my background, I craved respect and a sense of power. I thought this was what I needed to do to be in control. I’d met with this guy in town and it went from there. But it quickly went to my head. I ended up doing this for around three or four years and in this time had become a trapper where we had taken over someone’s house. It was a lad I knew, and his mum was not around. My using had also got out of hand, and I had other guys doing stuff for me. It got to the point where I owed someone £4,000.

“I had no idea what to do. This guy threw me into the back of his car, but I managed to talk my way out of it. I had planned to run away but they told me they knew where my dad lived, and what car he drove. As soon as I knew they’d been watching my dad, I couldn’t go. I tried to solve it by attempting to take out a loan in his name – defraud my own dad; anything to deal with it.

“But my dad found out I tried to take out the loan, and I had to tell him everything. He gave this guy £1,500 initially and then £1,000 a month until we were done. My dad’s a normal guy, he didn’t understand, I hated having to tell him. This wasn’t his world and I never wanted him involved. But before I knew it, I was back in it. It’s not as simple as just giving up drugs, I’d been using since I was 12. It had become my life. And it might sound strange, but I missed it. I missed being the guy people called up. I missed the money and the status. But soon enough I was in the same situation. I had become unreliable, and my name was tarnished as it were. I had to do the same again and clear my debts.

“By this point I’d been using for 10 years, and I wanted to get clean. I’d tried previously but this time was for real. I was effectively dying. I was removed from society and completely broken. I needed the benefit of a treatment centre and to receive all the help that thankfully came with it. Now, nine months on I am clean, and my life has totally changed.

“When I was younger, I never felt safe; that was a big part of why I did what I did. I didn’t trust anyone or feel I could talk to anyone. Since I found Vita Nova, I’ve found a purpose. You get to give back. When I was using, I was begging and stealing, and it was horrible. Now I can repay what I took by helping others.

“Vita Nova has helped me to increase my confidence. As well as performing, which I have rediscovered my love of, I have been working with refugees and asylum seekers. When you get out of treatment, you can feel lonelier than when you are addicted. Being an addict, you have a circle, and to walk away from that is challenging. To have somewhere to go day to day is comforting and takes away some of that isolation and loneliness in recovery. It is the most dangerous thing to sit and twiddle your thumbs when you are in recovery. Vita Nova is a safe place for so many of us. It gives us a purpose.

“If I was to give any kind of message to young people it would be that you must be honest with yourself; you need to admit you are scared and you need to admit that you are not happy. Find someone that is going to respect your privacy and talk to them. The things that are happening to you are not your fault, but help is out there.

“As a child you should never be scared to go home, and you should never be checking if your parents are alive or dead. The fear for me was that I would be taken away permanently. I know others will fear the same happening to them and I would tell them that you need to talk to someone. Personally, I needed someone to call me out; a lot was going on at home but because I had clean clothes, I didn’t get any pressing questions.

“I look at what would practically help, and I know I didn’t have somewhere safe to go – we didn’t have after school clubs. More places need to be inclusive. I would have loved a Vita Nova for kids where you could be creative and as loud as you wanted and be encouraged that it was fine to express yourself. Ultimately, somewhere where you felt safe. That’s what is needed, more places of safety where young people feel they are secure and free to talk one-to-one. People who ask questions and can encourage trust.”

Thank you for having the courage to tell us your story. I have seen first-hand the work being carried out by Vita Nova to educate young people on the dangers facing them today. From county lines to knife crime, these issues are skilfully tackled head on in their production of ‘The Wasps Nest’, for which they received funding after a successful bid to my Fix The Future scheme.

I am clear, while enforcement is a crucial part of our fight against drug crime, without effective education and early intervention measures to prevent more young people from being exploited by criminals, we are only tackling half the problem. That’s why under my Police and Crime Plan priority of tackling violent crime and high harm, we are dedicated to commissioning the services and educational inputs which reduce the harm of illegal drugs and alcohol. I want young people in Dorset to feel free from the fear of crime and have the tools in their armour to turn away from illegal drugs and other substances which could ruin their lives. By equipping the next generation with the confidence they need to say no, we’ll be helping to keep Dorset safe from those who seek to harm us and our young people.

David Sidwick

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner