Aaron's pathway into recovery

When Aaron Corcoran’s 15-year-old daughter takes an interest in his studies to become an AOD (Alcohol and Other Drugs) counsellor, he’s quick to share what he’s learning. He’s just as forthcoming when she asks about his own past experience with drugs.

“I tell her that she can come to me and talk to me about anything and everything. She'll question me about things and I'm open and honest with her about the stuff I went through. I tell her about my experience with addiction –the friends that I lost. I try to teach her to identify the problems she faces and to talk to me.”

For Aaron, having someone to talk to was the difference between losing everything to an almost 20 year drug dependence and entering a drug-free life. Aaron has been in recovery for 15 months and attributes much of his success in turning his life around to the relationship he formed with Pathways Murrumbidgee Regional Manager, John Reid.

“My addiction started when I was 18. It started with party drugs – just weekends, social. I was always that person that said, ‘It’s never going to get me’. But weekends turned into daily. I turned into a completely different person. I lost my family. I lost my kids. I lost everything to learn my lesson.

“Directions Health Services helped me in a big way. They helped me to become who I am today just by conversation during my recovery. I first met John when I was virtually at the end of my road. I’d been kicked out of the house. I had no job, no money. And John stepped in and said, ‘We can help you’. I would have lost everything without him.

“He was there for me when I had nothing. I was in a homeless shelter and he gave me self-worth, even though he doesn’t like to take credit it for it and says it was all me. He’s always been there to see me through my recovery. Even now, I live 500km away in St. Marys and he’s still there.”

Pathways Murrumbidgee is a community-based AOD service with a number of programs in the Murrumbidgee area, funded by Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network and the NSW Ministry of Health. An outreach service, Pathways Murrumbidgee focuses on harm minimisation first before getting people into recovery and helping them on that journey. John says the Murrumbidgee area is a busy region, with a lot of good people seeking help, and believes Aaron’s lived experience makes him a good candidate to become an AOD worker.

“I think Aaron would be a perfect role model. He’s good with people – easy to talk to and builds rapport well. He verbalises what he’s been through and he’s motivated to give back. And he’s got that lived experienced.”

Aaron also believes his lived experience will help him as an AOD worker and it’s a role that comes naturally to him.

“Helping people has always been in me. Now, I can give back to help people accomplish what they need and want. I’ve got that experience from both sides – the person with an addiction and the person in recovery. It will help that I’ve been there, and I’ve experienced first-hand what addiction can do to you and how it can take hold.

“I’m studying to be an AOD worker to help people not to go down the paths I did. It took me a long time and losing everything to wake up to myself. Now I’m clean and I’ve never been better. I could never go back to the person I was.”

Through his recovery, Aaron has learned some priceless lessons about the way out of drug dependence and has simple advice for those doing it tough.

“I learned that it’s about having people around you, being who you know you truly are, and setting yourself goals. For me, I just stay focused at what I'm doing. I take one day at a time – every minute at a time. And I set goals. Yes, it's going to take a while to get there but having my daughter with me now shows me what I've done in the past doesn't matter anymore. What matters now is moving forward.

“But for anyone that is struggling to take the first step, I would say: It doesn’t matter how bad it gets in your life, there’s always somebody out there that will help you. It doesn’t matter if your family has disowned you or you’re at your wits end – there’s always somebody. You’ve just got to reach out and find the right support services. Take everything, take it with two hands, and go with it. Just don’t give up.”

The Australian Government resource Head to Health has digital mental health and wellbeing resources, for you or someone you care about – visit headtohealth.gov.au.

Anyone who is affected by alcohol or other drugs should call the Alcohol and Other Drugs Information Service (ADIS) 1800 250 015.

Anyone who is experiencing a mental health emergency (themselves or others) should call Mental Health Line 1800 011 511, Lifeline 13 11 14 or call 000.