Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page 😊

Climbing out is a UK based charity that rebuilds confidence, self esteem and motivation in adults following life changing injury, illness or trauma. They run mental resilience programme's combined with outdoor activities such as hiking, canoeing and rock climbing 👨‍🦯🛶⛰️

My own story is that I've endured traumatic events throughout most of my adult and child life and that trauma lives deep in me. I found comfort from this in illegal substances and became dependent from a very early age. I never learnt how to live life without putting a drink or drug into my body for 20 years. Along with that lifestyle my mental health took a serious decline, which I then used more substances to change the way I felt but was only falling further into oblivion. Addiction is very powerful and it doesn't care about upbringing, environmental backgrounds, job titles or wealth status. It can get anyone of us and it sure doesn't discriminate. Unfortunately it got me to the point of suicide where I felt it would be much easier to die rather than to live. Today I'm so glad my demons never got the better of me because I've turned 4 years completely clean and sober 🙏 something that was only ever a dream but today I'm living that dream 💙

After attending a Climbing Out Programme I was introduced to the mental resilience and personal development coaching run by the wonderful kelda Wood as well as the mighty great outdoors. What was delivered which was in a group setting was teaching us tools to use in our day to day lives to help our mental health when that may dip. This program has not just strengthened me mentally but has shown me a new way of life by taking on the great outdoors. I used to be isolated in a town and i never really experienced many other places, certainly not climbing mountains. My health was very poor, I was weak and very unfit due to my addiction so the thought of mountain climbing would have just got me out of breath. Since being with them they've showed me what I'm capable of and challenges I can face head on but also feel a massive sense of achievement. I've taken on the langsdale peak challenge in Lake District, snowdonia in wales and just recently completed a 5 day expedition out in Scotland climbing ben nevis as well as other surrounding mountains there. Which I've been posting all week about to get word out there of how life changing this charity is and if I can do it, then you most certainly can! But it doesn't end there, oh no. I've been selected to take on the Alps next July over 9 days mountaineering on the Italian haute route, which begins in the Swiss alps and finishes in the Italian alps. The biggest challenge I've faced in my life was in no doubt getting clean and sober from drink and drugs but this is definitely up there as a huge personal challenge to me mentally, physically and emotionally. The team we have is made up of participants of previous programmes and all have there own inspiring back stories of to why they found themselves getting involved with climbing Out. This is just another added benefit of what climbing out brings is that I've met some true friends for life and it brings people together to widen your support network for whatever reason you may struggle with there is always someone to reach out too 🙌

All donations will be gratefully received by me and climbing out so that they can continue and deliver the life changing work to many others out there who suffer with mental health, life changing injury or illness

Thank you for taking the time to read my story 📖

From Addict to Alps 🗻 the journey continues..........