This is Steve reporting for Listen Up on the 16th of February, 2023.

I haven’t done a report for a bit. That’s because I’ve been doing other stuff for Groundswell. . I’ve been doing  HPAA work, Homeless Health Peer Advocacy. And yeah, I have to say, I find it really rewarding, you know, for a few reasons, primarily because I’m in early recovery it gives me purpose, you know, because I’m not the kind of person who can sit in the house all day listening to other people’s bollocks basically. I’m not very good at that. And basically, I can’t…ermm, I’m not very good at that.

And in the past I always end up saying oh fuck this and then I’m bored and all that stuff. The reality is that there is no reason for me to be bored there is load of really rich things for me to do and fulfilling things for me by going out, helping someone, you know. And that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been doing the in reach in hostels and you know, the best thing about that is, because my DBS hasn’t come through yet I can’t loan work but what i can do is be in hostel setting and encourage people to engage with health issues by sharing a bit of my story.

You know, I was in addiction for a long arsed time. I’ve had enough experiences with bad health things that i can draw on And what I’ve discovered is that…I knew this anyway but it is good to have evidence of it because fundamentally we’re all the same. So if I’ve gone through it, someone else will be going through it. They might interpret it different but for me, whether I’m right or wrong is irrelevant.

I think that’s… I believe that should be the case, you know, and not that’s what’s been going on. And the good thing… I was saying to a friend the other day, you know, yeah I’ve got some of them now as well, The good thing for me is I get I get to see where… not only where I’ve been, which I’ve been in many of them, you know, living but where I could go after just a couple of bad decisions down the line. That could so easily be me again. And, you know what I mean, just misfortune, whatever it is that leads you to there. You know what I mean?

So it’s good for me to see it and keep it fresh in my mind to see how difficult life is. Some people, myself included, when I was in there, you know, don’t get me wrong, you know, it’s not a it’s not easy. It’s not easy to do. But I find it gets easier the more I do it. I’m learning new skills about myself. Like I’ve always been good at  communication, but I’m finding there is more than one way to get that communication across, It’s not all about blarting out about yourself all about, you know sometimes it’s about actively listening and then finding identification in, you know.

I hope it’s encouraging to people that we do reach out to in the in reach Because, you know, people struggle. I was somewhere the other day, this mental health place, It was tough to see, Cause that’s not really me… I’ve always considered myself, you know, there’s nothing wrong with my mental health. Well i say that but all those years in addiction, there’s definitely something going on. Therefore, I think that’s why I continue to do it, because like I said, there is something in helping someone without a doubt,. You know, I don’t believe there’s any such thing as an altruistic act but the motive i have for doing is that i it keeps me well, so why wouldn’t I continue to do it?