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I’m John; hailing from the former coal mining village of Kiveton Park, Rotherham. I grew up in a brilliant community and I’m very proud of my working class roots.
I was an energetic youngster; I lived for sport - especially playing football and cricket. I was carefree and felt like life was one big adventure.
I spent many of my younger years at my local youth centre and I went on to find a passion for youth work.
Me and my friends had a love for rave music. We learned how to DJ at the youth centre.
On the back of this; we created JADE - Just Another Dance Event - and thus created
one of the most innovative youth projects in the UK. We put on rave events for local
teenagers and developed a charity that provided youth drop-in centres in the
local area and delivered programmes of essential support to local schools,
services and provisions.
My love for sport and rave music gave me some very special times and memories.
But they also lead me directly into the paths of alcohol and drugs. I was completely
against alcohol - I didn’t even like the taste of it. And drugs - well that was
something I never thought I would do.
MY STORY
Fast forward to 18 years of age and I’m out boozing and taking ecstasy pills, all weekend - every weekend!
As the partying escalated - I soon forgot about my sports and went years without playing any of them again. I had some really special memories at raves and loved the high moments. But eventually, the good times were far outweighed by the bad times. The comedowns were not worth it.
I managed to get myself together and left drugs alone, I settled with a partner and had a family of my own; I was happy and my two children meant everything to me - but I could never seem to find true happiness.
I was still binge drinking on weekends. Eventually; this relationship came to an end - I moved out and this culminated with me having a mental breakdown in 2018.
For the first time ever; I felt like I could not cope with life. Every aspect of it was a mess. Anxiety was
ripping through me. I was depressed, I was a self-pitying, mess of a man. I had put on so much
weight from drinking. I hadn’t exercised in years. I was fat, I hated looking at myself in the mirror.
I had a double chin, man boobs and big beer belly. My eyes were bloodshot red every day and
my energy levels were awful. I had blown all my savings on going out drinking in town every
weekend; spending hundreds each night. My kids were an inconvenience and I could not
be arsed with the majority of things I had to do. I had no interest in anything and I got
little satisfaction from anything I did.
One Saturday night; I was out in Sheffield in my usual bar and I all of sudden stood up, told my
mate I was leaving and just went home. This was my inner-soul driving me to make some kind
of change. I was f*****g fed up of being in the same place, talking the same shit, acting like I’m
something I’m not and spending a fortune on drinking liquid that made me physically and
mentally sick, the next day.
This was the first seed being sowed in making a significant change in my life. A couple of weeks later - following a debilitating hangover after a vodka binge - I was spending another Sunday afternoon with my head down the toilet - being violently sick. I said the famous old words out loud, “I am never drinking again’. And I f*****g meant it! My life was meant to be something special. And I was living a miserable weekly loop - culminating in anxiety, depression and sickness - every Sunday. F**k this!
I tried and failed at trying to sort my life out after a few weeks - after each attempt - I was back in the same miserable loop. I had no hope for life and no plan moving forward.
I began to work with a brilliant personal trainer Lee Freeman to get my life in order. And after randomly seeing a video from Andy Ramage on YouTube one day - I decided to take a break from alcohol to see if this would help me in any way. I planned to just do a month.
I have been sober since the summer of 2019. After a mental breakdown earlier in the year; I decided to have a break from the booze - just for one month. I decided to roll with it again for another month - and then following the third month - something magical happened!
My fitness and mental health are the best they have ever been during adulthood. I go to
the gym daily and play football and cricket on weekends and still go out DJ'ing in clubs at night.
These are the things I was meant to be doing in life and the things that make me truly happy.
I am now such a better parent, partner and friend.
I will never sacrifice my life to alcohol again!
If this resonates with you; I can help you get back to where you are supposed to be in life!
CONTACT ME
Old Colliery Offices, Kiveton Park,
Sheffield. S26 6QS
Tel: +447511731059