Sankalpa

My name is Michael and I am a drug addict.  I started in Sankalpa in November 2008.  The name of the place was called Millennium Carving at that time.  Before I started here, a day for me would be getting up and getting dressed, quick wash and I was out the door looking to get a bag of coke and some heroin for coming down off the coke which was an everyday thing before I started here in Millennium.

A woman called Marie Kearns who used to live across the road from me introduced me to Millennium.  We sent in two application forms and I never heard anything back.  So I met Marie up in Wellmount Clinic and I tell her I heard nothing back from the course so she tells me to meet her at FAST the next morning and she would go over with me, so with the help of Marie I managed to get a start the following week.

They told me to come back the following week because there were still drugs in my urine.  So I stayed in for the week and got clean and since I started I have had 2 or 3 slips but I am glad to say that I never used a needle since I started and I never used heroin again for some reason, although it’s always on offer when walking around Finglas but it just doesn’t seem to interest me anymore.   The Millennium-carving course that I started has since changed its name to Sankalpa, which means positive thinking for 2010.

I really think this course has kept me off cocaine and heroin and I think the money doesn’t mean a great lot.   Either I give most of my money to my mother anyway (Community Employment Allowance) and I’ll help my brother’s son with money for horse feed for his horses and money if he wants to go anywhere like the pictures or aqua centre with his mates.   I’ll throw him the money because he’s just like a little brother to me.

So yes I can actually stand up and say I Michael Scally haven’t went near a needle or any hard drugs since I started this course so yes I am proud to be here and proud to use my name for anything related to the Sankalpa course which I enjoy getting up for and enjoy coming to.