The majority of Nehemiah’s men had no father figure, many were physically abused and emotionally neglected as children and a high percentage were brought up below the poverty line. From a young age they were labelled by society as ‘bad’ people and gradually
accepted it.
The Arbour Programme is a rehabilitation course that enables residents to permanently deal with their destructive behaviour and addictions, while also providing a supportive, therapeutic environment where they can address and resolve painful underlying issues – the root causes of their problems.
Click here to find out how The Arbour Programme is changing men’s lives.
John's Story
My father was an independent greyhound trainer and so we constantly moved homes to follow his work. My folks split when I was seven and my dad went to Thailand. I stayed with him before he left and my mum came to pick me up two days before she should have – they had a huge argument and then asked me to choose between them.
I lived with my mother and by the age of 9 was a latchkey kid because she was always out either working or partying – she’d leave a key for me under a rock.
My dad eventually came back, married and with a baby on the way. I moved back in with him but carried a lot of anger because he’d taken my cousin with him to Thailand, not me, and because he’d found a replacement for my mum so quickly. Very soon they had a second child and I felt even less a part of the family. At 13 I ran away.
I ended up living with my mum again. I found a new set of friends – the first time I spoke to them they asked me if I smoked. I didn’t but said yes to fit in. Before long we were drinking heavily, smoking dope and taking LSD throughout the week – aged 13. At school I got a B in drama, but didn’t get any other qualifications.
At 15 I took heroin for the first time. One of my friends was a heroin addict and his sister introduced me to it. It very quickly became a regular habit and every time I came down I was faced with so many problems I couldn’t wait to get my next fix. Crime followed after a bit to fund the drugs – initially just burglaries and thefts. Aged 17 I ended up taking part in a major robbery of a department store with some older guys I’d been hanging around with. We got caught and I was sentenced to four years.
In prison, the security guard who’d helped us break into the department store tried to have me killed so that I didn’t implicate him. The plan failed and he ended up committing suicide. In prison I took some GCSEs, behaved well and got parole after two years. I was released in 2000 and met a girl and got involved with her. After two weeks I realised she was on gear and I ended up using again with her. Within six months I was back doing crimes to pay for the heroin. I ended up living on the streets for 10 months, staying in derelict buildings, sleeping out in the cold.
Two days before my 21st birthday I overdosed and was abandoned by my girlfriend – she panicked and dragged me out of her car. I was found by paramedics and the police. On my birthday my dealer gave me a bag of heroin. It felt so wrong and I started to realise I needed to make some changes.
My stepmother introduced me to a guy who helped me to start a detox. On the second day he took me to London and I was interviewed at Nehemiah. I finished my five-day detox and then returned to the Rehab, in 2002. The Nehemiah programme was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but that was what it took.
After Rehab I went to the Move-On and did an access course. In 2004 I got my own flat and started a degree in sociology and psychology. I got a part-time job at my local church and became involved in youth work – including starting a football club for young people. I also volunteered in my local community and decorated people’s houses. After a while I decided to start my own painting and decorating business, which I still have.
In July 2006 I got married to Alice, after proposing in Paris. My relationship with my dad is now better than I ever expected it to be. I wouldn’t be where I am today if Nehemiah hadn’t helped to break and rebuild me.
