Arthur’s Story of Addiction to Recovery

Six months ago, Arthur wanted to end his life because he didn’t see a way out of his alcohol and drug addiction.

This is Arthur’s story of his recovery from addiction.

Growing up, family life was chaotic.

My dad didn’t use drugs or alcohol but suffered from poor mental health and wasn’t always available for us.

The result of my childhood was a sense of not being enough, not feeling worthy and feeling like I didn’t have a place in the world.

I am one of four children, with my older sister and brother both in active addiction today.

I started smoking marijuana when I was 13 with my brother. It made me feel normal. This newfound activity meant I was now part of a group and it also took away some of the emotional pain I was holding onto.

It then quickly progressed to binge drinking alcohol and using party drugs throughout my teenage years.

I tried ecstasy and speed for the first time at 18. Speed became my substance of choice almost immediately.

When I was 20, I had a 3-day bender on the Gold Coast. I was on my way back to Brisbane and fell asleep at the wheel. I drove into someone’s front yard and as a result, fractured my sternum and had to be cut out of the car.

Yet, it wasn’t enough to stop me from using substances. I continued to abuse party drugs for the next few years of my life. It got to the point where I couldn’t continue studying biomedical science at university anymore because of the post-traumatic stress I was experiencing.

On my own will, I knew I had to do something different. I changed my social network and stopped using. Regardless, I was still drinking. I just swapped one vice for another. I changed careers and decided to go into real estate. This was quickly exchanged for mortgage broking, and it wasn’t long before I started working at a bank.

I was drinking alcohol most nights and binge drinking on the weekends.

I enrolled in university again and was working full time at the bank. I got married, bought a house, and started a family.

Our twins were delivered at 25 weeks and 5 days, and we had lost one. Our son then spent 98 days in hospital and underwent multiple lifesaving surgeries. He came home on oxygen for 6 months and we were told that if he got a cold, he would die. Small fractures started to emerge in our marriage.

My avoidance coping strategies were put on supercharge and I gave away my identity; everything that I enjoyed in life. I continued my studies and worked my way up to another promotion at work.

Soon, we were pregnant again, but this resulted in an ectopic pregnancy, almost taking my wife’s life.

We got pregnant a third time and had a little girl. When our daughter was 18 months old, a lot of people were making comments about the ‘twins’, because of how similar in age/looks our son and now daughter were. I couldn’t help but be reminded of our first daughter that we had lost.

I started to use speed again and when I couldn’t get that anymore, I turned to ice.

I reunited with a friend from school who was dealing cocaine. My cocaine addiction skyrocketed. I was using an 8-ball a day at one stage.

This then progressed to the point where I was combining cocaine and ice simultaneously. I thought I was experiencing a heart attack, went to hospital and started outpatient AOD treatment. I didn’t want to get clean but felt obligated to go through the motions.

My wife gave me an ultimatum – If I used drugs again or brought drugs onto the property, I would lose my family.

So, I started to hide my addiction better and set up external controls.

I only had the credit card to live off, no cash. But I had an account my wife didn’t know about and continued to shave some of my salary each week off the top.

I was still somewhat functioning day-to-day.

By now, I am at executive manager level at the bank and my dad passed away.

I was trying to support my mum and help pack up the house where my parents lived together for 20 years.

My sister was diagnosed with schizophrenia and my brother deteriorated significantly and was incarcerated for domestic violence. While he was in prison, the mother of his children was caught drink driving. My mother had custody of my brother’s children for about a year and half before she couldn’t do it anymore. The children are now separated and in residential care.

I was trying to manage everything and put whatever was remaining of the pieces back together.

My own wellbeing took a backseat, and I had lost my sense of self.

I started smoking methamphetamine daily for the last 4 years. I would have some THC oil to get a few hours’ sleep so I could start using methamphetamine again. I was gambling as an attempt to get money off the credit card to fund my drug addiction. I won $40,000 on an online casino straight away which just accelerated my habit further.

I was thrown into a role at work that was completely left field to my comfort zone, and we started to renovate our house. I ended up taking three months off work as long service leave to focus on the house. My wife knew I was gambling again so I stopped for a short time.

Before I knew it, it was April. The anniversary of my car accident and the anniversary of losing one of my twins. After visiting the memorial park, I later went back, texted my wife a final note and attempted suicide.

I refused all mental health support because I couldn’t be honest with anyone about how I felt or my drug use.

Two weeks after my suicide attempt, I got into a heated argument with my wife. I told her that I had been using drugs, that this is what withdrawals looked like and to call 000 because I wanted to complete suicide. I was taken to hospital and discharged the following day. When I got home, my wife dropped groceries off, made sure there was money on the credit card for me and left with my kids – telling me that she would be in touch.

I was suicidal and my psychologist later that night sent me back to hospital.

I booked in to start my methamphetamine detox a few days later. I tried to contact my wife throughout the week and was handed a protection order from police stating I was using threats of suicide to control my wife.

I started my detox and desperately tried to gain an admission to rehab. I was declined by Pine Rivers and Belmont. My mum had inquired to Hader Clinic Queensland for my brother years ago and I saw one of these recovery stories on her phone. I made the call to Hader Clinic Queensland and spoke to Jo every day for a week. I was worried that because of my recent suicide attempts and mental health, I wouldn’t be accepted. But I was.

By the time I got to Hader Clinic Queensland, I had completed detox, and I had no idea what to do with my life. I had lost my identity as an employee, a husband, and a father. I had been on unpaid sick leave, I had no access to money, my family had left, and I had an unfinished house. My work supported my admission to rehab and put forward a $5000 payment.

I completed the 12-week rehabilitation program and am now in the Transitional Housing Program. I then plan to do the outpatient program.

Being introduced to the fellowships and receiving support from the lived experience staff is what I needed. They understood my story on a personal level, and I felt listened to.

Mark stood out to me the most during my time at Hader Clinic Queensland. Everything he said to me was real and I was taught to sit with my emotions.

Today, I have been clean for four months and ten days.

The difference this time is that I am clean for me. I had to have a really good look at myself and be honest. I know now that I need to continue being honest. I have already been to one funeral and it’s scary.

For the future, I hope to return to work soon, and I have joined the local lapidary club. Lapidary is something I am now really passionate about. I find it to be extremely mindful and I feel like I am finally finding myself again.

While there are so many balls up in the air, I have learnt to find peace in the current moment. The tools that I have received and learnt while at Hader Clinic Queensland are profound. I was given the opportunity to work on myself intensively, to now be the best version of myself.

To think 6 months ago, I wanted to end my life because I didn’t see a way out. I realise now how ridiculous that was.

I think my purpose on this earth moving forward is to work with addicts and share my story in the hope that it will help another person choose recovery.

You don’t have to wait till the last stop to get off the train.

Names and photographs of this client may have been changed to protect their privacy.

Dr Mel Symon

Director, Hader Group QLD

Dr Mel Symon is the Director of Hader Group QLD, leading both Hader Clinic Queensland and Hader Clinic Queensland Private. With more than 30 years of experience in human services and over 20 years as a founder and business leader, Mel has played a central role in establishing and growing Queensland’s leading addiction treatment services.

Mel holds a PhD in Addiction Treatment from the University of Queensland, along with a Master of Mental Health, Master of Professional Management, and a Bachelor of Social Science. Since 2016, she has overseen the development of the 40-bed Hader Clinic Queensland residential rehabilitation program and, in 2021, the creation and opening of the 25-bed Hader Clinic Queensland Private Hospital.

Passionate about lifelong recovery, Mel is dedicated to evidence-based care, meaningful change, and supporting individuals to rebuild their lives through sustainable recovery pathways.

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