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A Gentle Path To Recovery
I contacted Bash on the 8th April 2020 after hitting rock bottom after losing thousands gambling, Bash chatted to me without any judgement went through his own story and for me helped that himself had once had a gambling addiction as he understood where I was coming from and how I felt completely and really helped me get my life back on track, if it wasn’t for the modules Bash has put together and his help and support I wouldn’t be where I am today, i am approaching the end of my modules now and I don’t feel like I need to gamble at all and importantly I have different strategies for the things that would have triggered the gambling in the past which are working, Bash would be there for you whenever you need him whether it’s a quick text or a quick call, he’s so supportive and I can not thank him enough for that and Bash has honestly transformed my life over the past two months of the program, I would recommend him 100%
Sam, 25, Bristol
Upon completing the ReBourne Recovery Programme: Looking back on my situation, Bash has literally saved my life! I’m so thankful for him to have helped me during the time I needed it the most and I can’t thank him enough! I have learnt so much about myself along this programme from NVC to meditation and how to reflect, relax and take in everything around me and be a lot more grateful for what I do have! I have really felt like I’ve engaged and actually enjoyed the programme and getting to know and love myself on a more intimate level. I need to ensure I keep to this programme and use the strategies I have to not go back down the old path and I have to remember gambling makes everything 100x worse and never better! I need to be strong with myself to ensure I overcome this, one thing I do want to do is ensure I print out every module and put it in a folder to refer back to when needed. I am paying more attention to nutrition and ensure I get outside for exercise at least once a day. I now do things for myself and not to please others all the time.
I reached out to Rebourne after being in an addictive and codependent relationship. My intense feelings were affecting sleep, health and my general well being. It felt that I needed to regain independence, boundaries and self love. Bash had an amazing amount of resources to help me strengthen and come into a happier less addictive state. From meeting online and in person I truly felt that Bash had the knowledge and wisdom of rising above addiction. The programme gave not only in session support but home practices strengthening resolve and clarity. My overriding feeling was that Bash was truly present for my needs. Even out of sessions there was a sense of him having my back. Bash is an intuitive and heart led practitioner. He brings down to earth relating to enable trust and faith in the process. With a warmth, friendliness and respectful humour Bash brought healing and recovery to my difficulties. Today my sense of purpose is greater, and I have more energy for relating as I'm more conscious of the pitfalls of codependency. I feel ready to enter a relationship again in a new way that holds my self respect and strengths as paramount. Thank you.
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John, 32
Lockdown saw my drinking increase and it was becoming a daily habit to drink wine and I was drinking 1-2 bottles a day. I am ashamed to admit some of my behaviours and I was living a life full of shame, self-hatred and guilt. Mum guilt was the worst. I’d separated from my partner and was spiralling. Christmas 2020, I was lucky to have met someone who suggested AA but it took me a while to accept that AA might be for me.
I walked in (half cut) to my first meeting in February 2021. I was a mess, spiritually, mentally, physically, and financially. After a few weeks of meetings, I was still drinking but I was trying to cut down – mind you I had been “trying” to cut down for the last 18 months without any success. I could do maximum of 2 days and then I would celebrate with wine as clearly, I wasn’t an alcoholic if I could go 48 hours without it!
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I then got chatting to a fellow AA member and he asked if I would be interested in being a client with ReBourne – he wanted to recommend me to Bash. I have had 20 years of therapy on and off so I wasn’t sure what Bash could offer me, but I was so desperate I was willing to try. I had person centred addiction counselling between age 16-19 and then from age 21 I entered into intensive psychotherapy. I saw my psychotherapist on and off for a period of 17 years. I achieved a lot in this time but I did not stop drinking – I had periods of abstinence when pregnant and breastfeeding but would quickly return to drinking although it was not at the levels it had recently reached. I never really questioned my relationship with alcohol I guess.
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I first met Bash on a zoom call – I literally hated seeing my face on camera so I struggled with this initially. We then met face to face. On March 19th I had my last drink and I am now nearly 18 weeks sober. I was also on anti depressants when I met Bash, I had been on them for 6 years having tried to stop on one occasion but couldn’t manage without them. Once I had managed to eliminate the alcohol, I decided to stop taking the medication and I am pleased to say that I no longer need these either.
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It took a few weeks of talking to Bash for me to make changes. To be honest, I’m not sure Bash was ready for the level of need I had to have contact. Bash had said to me that I could text him anytime and he would reply to me as soon as he could. I look back now and feel sorry for him! I was so dependant on him, there were times when my cravings were so bad and he would be the only one that I was able to be so open with. Bash believed in me from day one and I knew it. He never let me down, was always there for me – literally anytime day or night and without that level of communication, I know I would not have been so successful. We have reflected on this and now, I am able to manage my feelings, my cravings are practically nil and I do not live with shame, self hatred and guilt. With Bash having been by my side and his unwavering support and belief, I am now living my best life. I don’t even mind my face on camera and I have learnt to trust myself and the universe to be my best guides. I feel like at 41 my life is just beginning yet in February, I was contemplating self harm and I had slipped back into bulimic behaviour when I was just unable to sit with my feelings. I can now go quite a while without needing to check in with Bash but I know that he will always be there as and when I needed him.
I would recommend ReBourne to anyone who is suffering with addiction. The personal, tailored approach is the only one that has worked for me. I was able to work through some attachment issues in a safe space and not only have I begun to recover from addiction – I have begun to recover my true, authentic self.
Much love x
I was introduced to ReBourne Recovery after searching for alternative support for my substance abuse issues. At the time I was considering residential rehab, but this had not worked for me in the past. My belief was that I needed to learn to cope with my feelings, and recovery “in the real world”. Rehab had felt overly protective, and I believed I needed to be challenged to deal with my problem in the real world.
I found ReBourne Recovery via social media, and discussed with Bash over a couple of months the service offered and how the process would work. We began working together in November 2020, and to date this is the longest I have maintained abstinence for.
The 24 module programme, together with the support of a fully trained mentor on a one on one basis really helped me. I was challenged around my thinking, worked through past experiences I had not understood, and my weekly “homework” made me accountable and I believe has been the foundation of my recovery.
Addiction slowly crept up on me, social drinking quickly became daily drinking after work, which quickly saw me turn into a functioning alcoholic. This was over a period of perhaps 5 years. With my second child, I suffered extreme PND and turned to alcohol and tranquilisers as a crutch. Ultimately 3 years on, I was unable to function healthily as a parent, and I was forced to leave my job, my family fell apart and my ex husband gained care of the children. 3 years on from there, I tried everything – 2 stints in private rehab, AA, SMART recovery and the support services offered by CGL Star in Hastings. None of these were sustainable for me, all would work for a limited period, perhaps 3 months, then the shame, guilt and depression would hit and I would be using again. I needed to treat the reason, not the symptoms I now understand, which Rebourne has allowed me to do.
The ReBourne Recovery Programme state that they provide “LIFELONG support for our clients. The first 4 months is fully supported, the next 6 months is a once per month check in support programme then we are on call from that point forward”. This has greatly empowered me to keep in touch with the team, to check in when challenged with temptation, and to gently understand some of the science behind addiction. Secondly, thanks to COVID I was furloughed and would not have had the financial means to commit to a profit led service, so the benefit that this essential service was funded was I believe, the difference to my very vulnerable mental health. The holistic, and intelligent approach has made a fundamental difference to my wellbeing, relationships, and identifying risks.
I have now finished my modules, but still benefit from the ever flexible support of ReBourne which has significantly made a positive difference to my life, health, and also commitment to a 12 Step programme, and continuous learning around mental health.
I would love the opportunity to “pay back” the support of this service via volunteering, given the pressure on the NHS and mental health services, such organisations as Rebourne Recovery provide a lifeline to people in crisis.
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