Today is my last day in my current job as I am moving home to civilisation (ie Scotland) after 3 years in Hull. I am happy to be moving home as I have missed friends and family but it is also tinged with sadness as I am leaving behind some amazing colleagues who really care about their work! I am also going to miss some of my clients as, with some of them, we have moved so far forward since we started our work together. 2 in particular stand out. First there is Linda (not her real name for obvious reasons) Linda has had real **** time last year or so. Her partner died of overdose at Xmas, her mum died of cancer a few months ago, she has to have preventative mastectomy and hysterectomy in next year or so, she was in really atrocious housing with her 2 young daughters. When we first met she was using £50 of heroin per day and around £100 of crack per week. We are now at the stage where her heroin use is zero through prescribing (which in itself is reducing) and her crack use has reduced to about £10 per week. She is due to move into a lovely house with her kids and is starting a training scheme end of August. Every agency meeting we went to together, she would not talk and I had to advocate on her behalf. Now if we go to meeting, I cant get word in edgeways. Now my boss has said to me, 'very well done on this case'. But I feel it is her who has done well. I can offer support, signpost to services and help with other issues, but at the end of the day, it's her who has done the bulk of the hard work to get to this stage.

The second is Sally (again a pseudonym). When first presenting, she was a chaotic heroin user as well as benzodiazepenes.She also had 2 young kids and was scared that her drug use would get worse and she would lose kids. She was also injecting daily in high risk area (groin) which carries lots of risks. Now, she has stopped illicit use altogether (again through prescribing), is no longer using benzos and starts a volunteering course next week.

The point I want to make is; dont write someone off just because they have a drug habit. There are many reasons why it may start, but a lot of these people just need some help, support and motivation to make huge life changes. Dont label them the way the tabloids do - they are people just like you and me, albeit people perhaps with more traumatic histories and less life chances.

And I also want to pay tribute to the unsung heroes of the drug agencies - to whom the job is more than a pay cheque at the end of the month and monthly statistics. These people care, and put a lot of effort, even with chaotic aggressive clients, to attain a positive outcome.

Whoo, longest journal ever from me!! But Bonnie Scotland awaits and a lot of beer and bourbon to welcome me home!!

Bourbon? A Scot?

Yes, I know funky. But prefer my JD, Bullitt, Knob Creek etc to Scotch!!! Shameful I know!

My gran lived in Hull. Tween Dykes Road, Sutton.

Margaret.

She's not around now, though.

Her street had one of those daft cream coloured telephone boxes at the end of the road.

30 woodbines a day and half a bottle of ginger wine.

Good journal.

My hat off goes off to you with your work.

Really great of u supporting such people...

and good that u r returning to your family... x

teuchcter!!!!