Woke up at 11:00 in the morning, no job, no real life. Went down to the street door and lit the first joint. This is how my life has been the past 5-6 years. A completely trapped person who really didn’t care about all problems and who didn’t show any feelings at all. Got arrested every third month for chasing money in a completely wrong way. Hurting my family as often as possibly without thinking about it. Was hiding behind the drugs and everything was gathered inside me. A friend told me about the Dianova program so I took the chance and tried to do the program. When I got there (the center abroad) everything felt new for me since I hadn’t been to treatment before. Group meetings, psychology meetings, waking up at 7 am every morning having a planned day ahead of me. It was a bit tough at the beginning but after a while I started to open up to the psychologist and a bit later also to the whole group. It felt very good since I had never done that before and I could talk about almost anything and got advice and help from the other clients and the staff. It almost feels as if I am a totally new drug free person after 6 months. So now I am back in Sweden and manage my things with planning; old debts, education, driving licence and building up the love that I destroyed with my family and girlfriend. I simply see my way of life from another perspective. And I thank Dianova for that.
I am a guy with a 28 year long abuse behind me. During the Winter of 2011 I got in contact with Dianova. I have tried ’12-step’ before here in Sweden but it didn’t fit me at all. Went to Dianova at Södermalm in Stockholm on an information meeting and got a good impression from the start about the Dianova treatment. I decided to go to their center in Cozzo in Italy. What I found most difficult at first was the language. Not to make myself understood. But as with most things it was sorted out over time and I learnt Italian pretty fast. This journey has given me my life back and I have now been drug free for 10 months. Came back to Sweden after 7 months of treatment in Italy. I started at once, with the help of the staff at Dianova, to make a plan for the future. Everything from debt restructuring, interferon treatment for my Hepatitis C and housing problems. Have now got a belief in myself and the future for the first time in 28 years.
I started using drugs at the age of 13. I've been using up to that date I met Dianova in 2010. They showed me a way to get rid of my drug problem. I went to Canada for 7 months. Lived there, followed the rules and after that period I went back to Stockholm. From June 2011 I stay at Dianova’s house in Stockholm. I never thought I would come this far when I met Dianova one and a half years ago. And I never thought it would last this long. I will always be very grateful and happy of how Dianova has been able to help me. This I will never forget. I´m happy I´ve got my life back. I will start looking for a job and hopefully I will soon have my own place to stay. An apartment for myself. I will earn my own money. Pay my tax and start a new life. Dianova’s program will help almost anyone, it worked for me! This was my first treatment and it will be my last because now I feel good. If I knew I would have contacted Dianova a long time ago. If you need help contact Dianova. You will not regret it.
Leo T. de 50 years old, alcohol and cannabis addicted, in Dianova over 14 months: “I started to drink on weekends when I was 20 years old. In the beginning it was only in that occasions but then I increased the consumption because I felt better when I’ve drunk. Then I cannot stop. In that time my older brother also present me marijuana: I felt relief, happy, no pain. Unfortunately alcohol put me more social but marijuana putted me more shy than I was and I started to isolate myself in home. I’ve tried others treatments in Sweden and in Belgium but I only went to please my family or because of the pressure of social services. This time it was me that asked to my social worker to come to Dianova. I choose Portugal because they informed me that here they speak English. I’m in Dianova Portugal for almost 14 months and it’s been very important the individual psychotherapy and the therapeutic groups. Now I feel more comfortable with myself and with others, I feel more able to deal with my difficulties and the difficulties that life can bring me in the future. I would like to say to persons with addiction problems to seek help and take it seriously – do your treatment with honesty and commitment, do your best!”
