From Chaos to Support Work

It’s not everyday you see a touching real-life drama at Castlemilk Community Centre.
However this was exactly what we witnessed as The Scottish Association of Mental Health (SAMH) held its awareness day on Tuesday June 16.
Edward McBrearty, 41, from Castlemilk, is a service user of SAM H’s Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD) program who has gone full cycle.
Edward has come back from the brink after his life spun out of control.
He thanks the team at SAM H for his turnaround: ‘It’s a miracle what SAM H has done for me. They have allowed me to regain my trust, and belief in myself.
‘With the support and help it wasn’t too hard to get off the drink, I’d only ever think about it when I’d pass someone in the street and smell it off their breath.’
He was admitted to hospital with alcohol related issues in the spring of 2007 and diagnosed as having ARBD.
Two years later Edward has made a remarkable recovery; after drying out in hospital he now lives on his own.
Edward now hopes to ‘give something back’ and has started to use his own life experience to work with the organisation that has helped him piece his life back together.
Locality Manager, Roseann Logan, explained how crucial the program was, which started in 2006, and how important awareness of the problem was.
She said: ‘ARBD is on the increase, we work with a specialist team at the NHS but there is not yet sufficient service in the community at large to support the needs.’
Despite advocating a holistic approach Roseann admitted that one of the hardest parts of their role is promoting abstinence.
However, this is where the help of Edward comes in.
She continued: ‘Guys like Edward and Adrian Mutter – who made our promotional DVD – are hugely important to campaign.
‘They are going to be attending schools and colleges to speak about how easily drink can take control of your life.’