‘I was a homeless drug addict but turned my life around after being given a chance’

COMPASSION MATTERS –

Feb. 23, 2023 – The 29-year-old was in and out of prison, as he dabbled in crime to fund his addiction. He is now determined to help others who have been in a similar situation and feel like they have nowhere to turn.

Ryan has been sober for five months and sought help at a charity in Grimsby called Harbour Place. It was here that his interest in fitness inspired staff to deliver educational courses to service users.

He completed a distance learning course in Health, Exercise and Nutrition and is now volunteering at a local gym and We Are With You charity. His aim is to become a personal trainer to people who are in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction.

Speaking exclusively to Grimsby Live, Ryan said: “I was a totally different person to now. I was in a place where I didn’t think it was possible to come back from. [The course] has given me so much confidence and an ability to believe that I can do it, and I can be something. Kath used to always tell me in the classes, ‘You deserve it, Ryan, you can do this’, but I’d always look for something to focus on to sabotage it all, I’d get Imposter Syndrome.