One woman’s true story of hope, courage and recovery

One woman’s true story of hope and recovery
The first time I heard the name Anita Cragen was in November 2004, from a friend of mine in London. Michael had lived in South Kensington for several years and was a regular on the local wine bar circuit. He had rung me as he knew I worked in the alcohol treatment field and helped people find their path onto recovery.

Michael mentioned Anita’s name and said he was worried about her; he explained that he had watched her physical and mental health deteriorate in recent months and she had dramatically worsened since he had originally met her. He gave me her number and asked if I could give her a call as it seemed she might need assistance and perhaps I could give her some advice or help her.

I wrote her number down and put it on my to do list. The next day I tried her twice, morning and evening with no reply. After the second time I rang Michael to say I had failed to reach her and that the phone seemed to be switched off; he said she often turned the phone off when she was off on a bender.

I next received a phone call from my sister who was a bank manager in Bromley, Kent. She told me about a customer who lived in Spain and had a thriving Real Estate business there. My sister explained they had become friends and they had been out together on several occasions. The friend had turned up at the bank for an appointment that day extremely intoxicated and it looked like she had an acute drinking problem.

My sister was really worried about her friend; she mentioned there was a marked decline in her appearance since she had first met her, and her manner was completely different. She asked me could I help? I said give me the number and her name – it turned out it was Anita, and the number was the same as Michael had given me.

That evening I was finally able to contact Anita, she was in a wine bar and very drunk. I told her how I had got her number, and I said that I believed from everything I had been told that she had a problem with alcohol and if she wanted, I could help her. Anita asked me to come to the wine bar to discuss it with her. I explained it would be better if we spoke in the morning once she had sobered up, she put the phone down.

Over the next two months I tried on several occasions to contact Anita again, by phone call and text message, with no success. Then on January 7th, 2005 Anita contacted me. My first thought when I picked up the phone was - she sounds sober. I asked her where she had been, and where she was. Her reply was she had been on a horrendous drinking spree which at its worst had led her to Brighton to end her life.

Anita explained she had ended up in hospital on a life support machine, with days to live after organ failure. Somehow, she had survived, and she was being discharged that afternoon – which was why she was calling – she said I need help, can you help me? Can we meet as soon as possible to discuss what options there are? She was being discharged at 4 pm and wanted to meet at 7 pm. I said yes and we arranged to meet for coffee.

During that first conversation Anita spoke about her previous attempts to get sober and the lengths she had gone to; she had met with psychiatrists, doctors, therapists, tried hypnotism, herbal remedies and even acupuncture – nothing worked. Twice she had been into residential treatment centres, a rehab centre in London, and another in Thailand – both times within hours of leaving treatment she had drunk again. She felt she was a hopeless case and constantly berated herself for her lack of self-control or self-will.

I explained to Anita that she had an illness; a disease called alcoholism. It had nothing to do with her lack of self-will, and just like any disease it needed the appropriate treatment. I asked Anita if she was prepared to put her recovery before everything else in her life and if she was willing to go to any lengths to get well - she said she did.

She not only said she was ready to go to any lengths – she did! And today Anita is the co- founder of Phoenix Programmes. She is an internationally qualified drug and alcohol counsellor; she has attended courses in the USA, London and Spain and has the certificates of accreditation from them all. Anita specialises in helping women and families, which she did in Dubai for three years and has worked for about 12 years here in Spain. Today she continues to work with women from around the world - helping them into recovery.
Please note: All my case studies talk about real people I have met and helped during my 25 years as an addiction therapist. I always have permission from the client to speak about their story though the names have often been changed to provide privacy and anonymity.
If you think that you or someone you love might have a problem with drug or alcohol addiction, compulsive behaviour or emotional disorders, reach out and speak to our specialist addiction rehab treatment team on our confidential helpline +34 691 881 422. Immediate admission available.

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