‘Seamus’, a 53-year-old construction manager from Northern Ireland, was struggling with the breakdown of his family after his relationship had ended. He hadn’t seen his daughters in two years, and his performance at work was slipping. Leaning into unhealthy coping mechanisms, his alcohol addiction was getting out of hand, and his mental health was rapidly deteriorating.
“I was about to throw in the towel but the faces of my beautiful daughters made me look for help,” said Seamus. He had seen a Lighthouse Charity poster at work and despite feeling scared and anxious, he decided to make the call to our helpline team.
Having spoken to our helpline advisor, Seamus was then passed through to one of our specialist caseworkers who discovered that he had experienced trauma in his past that had never been addressed. It had caused a domino effect that had led to his alcohol addiction, and it was time for him to make sense of it. We offered Seamus an extended course of counselling to work through his problems.
Now, Seamus is taking sobriety day by day. He is in a much better place emotionally and is looking to the future with a course of life coaching which is helping him set fresh goals and identifying how these can be achieved. With fresh perspective and a clear head, Seamus is thriving at work and is back in touch with his children.
Grateful for the help, and reflecting on the dark time he endured, he is urging others to reach out for support as soon as possible, “I was at an extremely low point. Don’t try to deal with trauma yourself, it’s impossible without the right support. Lighthouse helped me to understand that life can be better – I now realise that life is a precious gift. Also think about the reaction from your family and friends when they eventually see that ray of sunshine again.”
If you can relate to Seamus’s story and you’d like to reach out, help is here – call our free 24/7 helpline 0345 605 1956 (UK) 1800 939 122 (ROI) or web chat live with one of our advisors at www.lighthousecharity.org.
Does calling feel too much right now? The Lighthouse Charity also offers advice on a variety of topics via our webpages. Please click for more help on trauma, addiction or relationships.
