MIKE

Mike describes his life before Clouds House as “chaotic.” His addiction to alcohol was causing the breakdown of his relationships, particularly with his wife, and impacting his job as a pub landlord. Despite this, Mike was convinced he could control his drinking, until his wife and a friend convinced him to seek help. At Clouds House, Mike was finally able to accept his addiction, and realised he had a say in how much control he was going to let alcohol have over his life.

Despite his recovery being successful so far, Mike was concerned that the outbreak of COVID-19 would cause his issues to resurface. Before the pandemic began, Mike was attending weekly meetings at Clouds House, as well as attending daily AA meetings and regular meetups with his sponsor.

Since social-distancing began, Mike has continued his daily AA meetings over Zoom and has replaced face-to-face meetings with his sponsor with weekly catch up phone calls. Although this remote support does not replace the in-person interaction usually offered by AA, Mike says he still feels connected to the programme and is confident he can maintain his recovery with these measures. In fact, Mike says in many ways he feels more supported than ever, and is thankful that he has the programme to help him stay on track during challenging times.