HOMELESS and dependent on alcohol and drugs, Mia Flynn found herself stuck in the chaos and despair of addiction for eight years before finally hitting rock bottom and wanting to change. Believing in her ability to make something of her life, Carr Beck, the UK’s only long-term 24-hour accommodation for women with alcohol and other complex needs run by West Yorkshire charity Turning Lives Around, sought to help her on two occasions and were proved right. Having achieved a BA in Criminology at Durham University Mia, now aged 30, has embarked on a Masters in Social Work and is contemplating a career helping others who have lost their way just as she did. Mia fell into drinking and taking drugs when she was just 16, getting involved with the wrong crowd plus a highly abusive relationship with an older man deepening her addiction and stealing and shoplifting to feed her habit. It was while she was staying at a boyfriend’s mum’s house that she was first referred to Carr Beck where women, supported by their keyworkers, are able to develop their own alcohol management plan with the aim of reducing their intake while also focusing on life goals such as health, work or training opportunities, social skills and relationships to aid their recovery. “Life was really chaotic at the time. Carr Beck gave me a flat in Chapeltown giving me somewhere safe and secure to live that was mine after the insecurity of living in other people’s houses. “They also helped me sort things out. Life calmed down, I had a home, attended courses to help me control my drinking and started working,” recalled Mia. With life looking good, Mia took on her own tenancy of a flat in Chapel Allerton but having money in her pocket after rent and bills had been paid proved too much of a temptation. She started buying drugs, drinking more and self-harming. Turning up drunk at work one day with wine in her bag, Mia lost her job. She then lost her flat and, on the verge of homelessness again, she went back to Carr Beck. “They were there for me. Found me somewhere to live and tried to get me back on track but I was all over the place. I’d go out doing things and wouldn’t remember. The police turned up and I was in court a lot. I was in a really low place,” says Mia. “Then it hit me. The way I was going, I was either going to succeed in killing myself or I would end up in prison. I didn’t want to keep on living the way I was so I called my support worker Eileen.” That call was the key to Mia’s recovery. Eileen booked her in for detox with Leeds Addiction Unit and put her in contact with the Alcohol and Drugs Service plus Multiple Choice. On ‘tag’ with a 7pm curfew, Mia started getting into a routine, filling her days with support groups and volunteering with Together Women, a charitable organisation working with women and girls with multiple complex needs. She hasn’t drank since starting detox on June 17, 2014. It was while she was at Together Women and attending a workshop on domestic abuse that she was inspired to go to university to study criminology. Three months into her recovery she took an Access course as her gateway to university and secured a place at Durham. In addition to achieving one degree and working towards her Master’s, Mia has passed her driving test and has her own car plus a lovely home, including furniture and belongings she’s bought and built up over the last six years. “Without the support of Carr Beck I can honestly say I wouldn’t be where I am today. They never judged me for how my life was. They were understanding and just accepting of me, constantly trying to help and reduce harm where they could. This meant I always felt I could be honest with them,” says Mia. “I haven’t drank for six years and have been clean of drugs for five and Carr Beck has been there for me every step of the way. “Even now Eileen keeps in touch, checking in with me during the pandemic, and that support means a lot.” “We are so tremendously proud of Mia. She has come such a long way from when she first came to us, showing resilience of spirit and sheer guts to overcome her addiction and move on with her life,” said TLA’s Chief Executive Janet Spencer. “Carr Beck is about helping women alcoholics overcome their addiction and have a second chance. We don’t dictate to vulnerable women that they must give up their prop. Instead we support them in developing their own alcohol management plan, reducing the amount and the time spent drinking while also developing other skills to enable them to return to independent living. “It isn’t easy. Being alcohol dependent most of the women have complex issues that form barriers to change but it is an approach that works and we have many women, like Mia, who have gone back through our doors to live full and rewarding lives.” Mia adds: “I feel I am now a productive member of society but I never let myself get complacent. I’ve witnessed people relapse because they’ve convinced themselves that they can drink or use successfully because their life has changed. I don’t ever let myself be fooled. I always remind myself that my addiction controlled me, I had no control over drink or drugs, and that I only have this life now because I was able to move on from my addiction. However, I’m under no illusion; if I were to drink or take drugs again, I would very quickly end up back where I was before.” Turning Lives Around is dedicated to preventing homelessness for those at the margins of society. TLA was established in 1970s. TLA works on its own or in consortia with other housing providers. Seacole was nominated for two Leeds Compassionate City Awards in 2018, three Child Friendly Leeds 2019 awards and were named Digital Champions by Leeds City Council for successfully completing a course on the use of digital technologies. Carr Beck, TLA’s supported accommodation for women who choose to continue to drink is the only one in the UK. Alcohol Awareness Week runs until November 22.
