By 2013 Iain wasn’t functioning at all. “I would need about 8 standard drinks just to steady myself, and then the vodka, and hip flasks. It was horrible, I was vomiting every morning. I knew I was going to be in a box in the next six months if I didn’t do something about it. I knew I was going to die.”
Fighting for rehabilitation
This was a turning point for Iain. Sadly, his wife had similar struggles with alcohol, and their relationship was very co-dependent as far as drinking was concerned, he said. Iain knew he needed to go away to get sober, and she agreed to stay behind and do the same.
Pull quote: “I called service after service and kept getting turned away. I had to drink four bourbon and cokes to be able to pick up the phone.”
Because of high demand and lack of places, Iain had to fight to get into a rehabilitation centre. “I called service after service and kept getting turned away. I had to drink four bourbon and cokes to be able to pick up the phone.”
Eventually he connected with the Salvation Army Bridge Programme in Newtown.
"I woke to the gibbons, and I got sober”
If it wasn’t for the Bridge Programme, Iain believes he wouldn’t be here right now.
“They literally saved my life. I learned to understand things that weren’t my fault, even though everyone seemed to be blaming me. I’ve never been more determined in my entire life”
The programme’s housing was near Wellington Zoo and Iain’s days began with the sound of wildlife. “I woke up to the gibbons… and I got sober,” he said.
Although it was an eight-week programme, Iain knew it was working early on in the piece. “By the fifth week I knew I had cracked it, and after seven weeks they let me go early.” Unfortunately, his wife hadn’t managed to get sober on the outside, so he realised they couldn’t live together anymore.
Finding focus through cycling
Rehab had helped Iain accept the ebbs and flows of life. “The yin and yang. It gave me the ability to give myself some grace and love and time to rest. I was so hard on myself.”
It also gave him the space to pursue a new passion – cycling. In 2018 Iain started riding a bike to improve his physical and mental health. This very quickly grew into a new hyperfocus for him (though he wasn’t aware that’s what it was at the time).