Jim:

Jim had everything going for him before drug use took hold. A tradie who moonlighted as a semi-professional skateboarder, he was living his best life. On weekends, he loved to party, an experience often heightened by cocaine.

But the weekends stopped being a choice. What began as occasional recreational use became a dependency. The impacts were hard to ignore: his relationships faltered, his debts mounted, and soon, his skateboarding sponsorships and his job disappeared.

He was losing everything, not gradually, but all at once. 

Jim realised he couldn’t dig himself out on his own. Instead, he turned to Triple Care Farm Walawaani, signing up for a 12-week residential rehabilitation program.

At Walawaani, he got to grips with the drivers behind his substance use. He threw himself into group counselling and SMART Recovery sessions that helped him regulate his emotions and impulsive behaviours, manage his cravings and take his first steps towards recovery.

Turning recovery into gold

It was during his residential treatment that Jim first began thinking seriously about making big changes in his life and career. Working in the mines in Western Australia seemed like a fresh start that could also help him manage his debts.

After leaving residential rehabilitation, and with the help of his aftercare worker, Ebony, Jim started taking the steps to turn his vision into reality. The structure, accountability and motivation he’d learnt during his time in treatment helped him start moving towards his goals. 

After a brief relapse, and Ebony’s support, he got himself back on track. And the rewards were well worth the effort: he’s now a FIFO worker living in Perth and working on a gold mine in northern Western Australia.