Thomas Osborne’s Post

6 years clean & sober today 😃 I never thought I’d be posting my sobriety milestone on LinkedIn, but it’s funny how life changes. Being in the corporate world for the last 10 years has meant I’ve kept the fact that I’m in recovery fairly quiet. Why? Probably because of the stigma and misunderstanding that still surrounds addiction, and the fear of that scuppering my ‘career progression’ chances. It’s a shame, because in my experience, alcoholics and addicts who have found recovery tend to be some of the most driven, talented, and charismatic people around, and certainly not short of ambition. I suspect it’s because we’ve been to hell and back, experienced a lot of pain, and found a way to come out the other side… it’s ‘character building’ like no other. Or maybe it’s down to what the 12-step programmes call the ‘ego defect issue’. Who knows, that’s another debate. I first went to treatment in June 2015 at 23 years old, about one week after the second photo was taken. Over the next four years I spent a total of 10 months in residential treatment spread across a few different facilities. Those four years were hellish for everyone close to me, not that the prior decade was much better.. Despite tending to arrive kicking and screaming, I actually used to love rehab, mainly because of the huge relief that came from not having to battle the internal negotiation of whether or not to drink or use on a daily basis. Having that removed meant I could feel a sense of contentment. Unfortunately though I relapsed every time, sometimes within a week but always within a few months of discharge. Barney was created from mine, a family member and many friends’ lived experience of challenges faced returning home after treatment. I also know how difficult it is for the centres to remain engaged with clients after they discharge, despite their best efforts. We solve that problem. Today, I’m not ashamed, but proud to admit that Barney was created from my lived experience.