Hi there, I'm Jamie, Director of Every Story Counts CIC and living my recovery to its fullest!

At time of writing I am approaching 18 months sober, and those 18 months have been the most fulfilled, eye-opening and beautiful months I can remember. This follows on from roughly 20 years in active alcoholism, to depths where I truly lost myself and any sense of direction I felt I might have had; with a bottle in my hand (or under the bed) and re-living the same day through dependency, day in and day out, drinking to stem the withdrawals and present as a human being all the while quietly resigned to the perception that this was my life now. I'd given up and was quite content to sit like that until the end.

But, this is a message of hope, and a story of recovery. 2024 was both the worst and the best year of my life. It was the year I was hospitalised four times owing to liver failure but it was also the year I found the power of recovery. Laying in a bed in DRI, on my own with two canulars, and having been given my "death note" - I had the moment of clarity that allowed me to take control. The alcohol was out of my system and the words that my wife and father had been saying for so long finally sunk in. I had so much to lose and so much left to give.

For me, my recovery path was through AA and volunteering at Project 6. I will eternally be indebted to both of those entities. I'd tried other services (where I met Neil, the man I am proud to call a friend and an advocate) but it was through those meeting rooms, and the chance to grow provided through my volunteer work that I finally started to morph into the man I wanted to be. I husband, a father, a colleague and a friend. I was given opportunity and re-assurance whereas before I felt I deserved none and I was finally able to cross the threshold into sobriety and I have never looked back.

In December 2025 I launched my own CIC - Every Story Counts - which captures the stories of people with first hand lived experience, concerned others and those who's professional lives are touched by substance misuse. With a view to challenge the way society views, talks to and responds to people are fighting through these conditions. We're all human beings - and we all deserve to be understood. Recovery Games, in my humble opinion, is a wonderful example of recovery in action. Dispelling the perceptions around substance misuse and holding a mirror up to those who would easily dismiss such problems with stereotypes and sigmatised judgement. It shows what is possible; that recovery can be fun, shared and absolutely worth pursuing.

Thank you"