'I lost my job, home, marriage and family after one decision at a party'
A man who lost everything after being offered crack cocaine at a party which spiralled into an addiction, has spoken out to inspire others after he turned his life around.
Barber Lee Dowling was married with a home and steady career when he was first offered the highly addictive Class A drug at a party and it soon took hold of his life. His relationship broke down after he used joint money and sold items to fund his habit.
He told Stoke on Trent Live: “When I was introduced to drugs, I was married, with a home and career, all that sort of stuff. I was stealing from the household money meant for bills and selling things from around the house. I became impossible to live with. My wife kicked me out and divorced me.
"I moved in with my mum. I lived with her for about a year until the same thing happened. I was robbing her, selling goods from her home, and she kicked me out. I was sofa surfing with a friend in Northwood for about a week before I came to the Macari Centre.
Josh Mayer from Newcastle-under-Lyme has his haircut by former Macari Centre resident Lee Dowling (Pete Stonier / Stoke Sentinel)It was at his lowest ebb that Lee found the support he needed at the Macari Centre, a homeless shelter opened by former Stoke City manager Lou Macari. The charity offers self-contained apartments and Lee stayed there from 2019 until December 2021. With his probation officer, Lee applied for accommodation with Nacro, an association which supports ex-offenders in rehabilitation.
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He said: “The probation officer put my name forward to see if there was a room available. It just so happened that they had a flat in Hanley. I moved in there, and I continued with my recovery, engaging with the recovery service. The service stresses the importance of choosing what you want to do for a career. I thought about it for a while and I decided to do barbering. I mentioned it to them and they looked up courses for me and I started college.”
Lee studied Levels 1, 2 and 3 in barbering at college and qualified last year. Lee added: “The turning point was when I got help and learnt about the disease of addiction. I looked at what the real problem was during my addiction, it wasn’t the drugs, the real problem was me. The drugs were just my solution. That was my massive turning point and it’s enabled me to become a better person.
“Addiction isn’t a hopeless state to which there is no recovery. You can recover and don’t lose hope. There is help out there but you’ve got to reach out and accept that help. For me, that was the first step. Knowing that I can reach out and ask people for help, knowing there are people willing to help me.”
For more information on the Macari Foundation, click here.
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