Addiction

About 35 years ago, sometime early in the morning, I looked out of my bedroom window in Longford, Coventry, out onto the street in front of our house.

I would have been around 5 years old.

This was not unusual for me, our house looked out over the local park, and I would spend time just people watching, observing the world through young eyes, trying to figure out what was going on, I suppose.

That one morning, however, police cars and ambulances were screaming up the road.

I could see they stopped near the corner, where my best friend lived.

I don't know the why, and it doesn't matter in all honesty.

I did find out what had happened shortly after the events of that morning, though.

My best friend's dad had committed suicide.

As a child, trying to figure out the world at such a young age, that act does not make sense.

I looked out my window in wonder at the most mundane things:

• dog walkers
• the occasional squirrel
• Ford Granadas, driving up and down the road

10 doors down, my friend's dad couldn't find peace in anything.

As the years went by, my friend and I never really spoke about what had happened.

We just carried on growing up on a council estate in Coventry.

That included quite often doing things we shouldn't do. Stealing cigarettes from our parents and smoking in the park, getting into the odd fight, and messing around near train tracks, building sites, and old abandoned buildings.

It was not a great place to grow up.

My Dad clearly recognised that, and by the age of 10, we had moved away to the opposite side of the City.

I would go on to grow up with a group of friends who would have no idea about the life I just left – and that was a good thing for them and me.

My friend was left behind, growing up in the house where the terrible thing had happened to his Dad.

As far as I knew, he had no answers. Of course, rumours were flying around. Rumours that would 100% only make life worse for him and his family.

Sometimes, as humans, we let each other down.

My friend would go on to become a drug addict, eventually dying from what I believe was a heroin overdose.

Recently, I learned that another friend of mine from my early days in Longford had passed away.

Again, he had his struggles with addiction at times.

Sometimes in life, people get a raw deal through absolutely no fault of their own.

We need to help each other, and I do think that as the years have ticked over, as men we've recognised that better.

Clearly, we need to do more, as my brief story is far too common.

Thankfully, there are services available offering help.

I've focused on places in and around Coventry.

CW Mind

CW MInd offers mental health support for individuals around the Coventry and Warwickshire area.

Link: https://cwwmind.org.uk/

The Dynamo Project

The Dynamo Project supports people with addiction issues around the Coventry area.

Link: https://www.thedynamoproject.co.uk/

Andy's Man Club

Andy's Man Club offers mental health support groups across the country and has groups in the Coventry area.

Link: https://andysmanclub.co.uk/