Matthew first realized he needed help with his alcohol use during his late 20s. He was drinking daily, he says, and recognized that he was using alcohol as a way to bury problems in his life.
Read his story
But taking the step to access treatment wasn’t easy.
“I had concerns about people knowing I was an alcoholic,” he says. He says he was also afraid that once he started treatment he would need to immediately start talking about all the challenges in his life that were behind his drinking. Treatment including medication and counselling have been key in his recovery.
“I’m growing. I’m 43 years old and I’m such a different person than I used to be. Here I am, I’m alive and happy. I’ve never been this happy,” he says.
Watch the video
Learn about Matthew's experiences with alcohol use disorder treatment.
Learn more about substance use treatment
This story is part of a five-part series called In my experience, where people share first-hand experiences and information about accessing a variety of substance use services at Interior Health.
Read other In my experience stories
Alcohol use treatment and recovery services can include day treatment (educational and discussion-based groups), counselling, medications, withdrawal management (detox), and referral to other supports and services.
Name: Edward Schaffer (he/him/his)Job Title: PhysicianYears of Service: 7Worksite: Invermere & District Hospital and East Kootenay…
/stories/we-are-ih-physician-brings-quality-care-rural-communities
Vinaysinh (Vinny) Chauhan was enjoying a game of cricket on a warm June night in 2023 in Merritt when he started feeling unwell. “My neck was…
/stories/one-patients-journey-double-stroke-recovery-rih
Dr. Kyle Merritt realized he had to do more for the planet during a two-week stretch of thick wildfire smoke in 2021 that saw his family…
/stories/healthy-planet-healthy-people-one-doctors-quest-change
Name: Coreen Duncan (she/her/hers)Job Title: Patient AmbassadorYears of Service: 34Worksite: Columbia HouseCommunity: InvermereAncestral…
/stories/we-are-ih-patient-ambassador-brings-celebration-and-joy-work
Welcome to the Meet Your Recruiter series, where we bring you closer to the dedicated professionals behind Interior Health's recruitment team…
/stories/meet-your-recruiter-rob-hurry-rns-lpns-hcas-cent-okanagan
Imagine being in a situation where you can't speak for yourself—who would you trust to speak for you? Or what if you needed to speak on…
/stories/plan-your-future-health-care-advance-care-plan
STAY CONNECTED
Receive news and alert posts, and Stories@IH blog posts, right to your inbox!