'Art in Recovery' Workshops

Lisa has been in Recovery for just over two years after finding herself stuck in a vicious cycle of addiction using alcohol as a crutch to cope with a number of mental health issues including anxiety, stress and depression.

After trying to combat alcoholism and mental health alone and all in one go, she soon realised that this was not the best route, as addiction and mental health often go hand in hand. Her alcohol addiction needed to be resolved first because alcohol not only acts as a depressant, but also fuels heightened anxiety!

Lisa had reached a point in her addiction where she felt physically, mentally and emotionally unwell. She did not recognise herself when she looked in the mirror. A happy-go-lucky girl had disappeared and the reflection staring back at her was sad and broken.

She was unintentionally hurting those around her who she loved, as the nature of the addiction took it’s hold. Alcohol stripped her of everything, her self- confidence, self-worth, self- esteem, health and happiness. Alcohol was slowly destroying her like a slow motion suicide. Things needed to change...

Lisa received support from her G.P. who advised her to get in touch with the Local Drug and Alcohol Services, which at the time was known as ‘Addaction’.

This is where Lisa’s recovery journey began. She attended a 'Welcome Meeting' where she met like-minded people also seeking recovery. She was assigned a Key Worker who had one-to-one contact with her, providing an outlet for Lisa to talk openly about her addiction in a non-judgemental environment. She began attending groups to aid her recovery.

The groups gave Lisa a purpose to get up and out of bed and provided much structure to her day. Establishing a routine was an essential part of early recovery because this not only motivated her, but also aided her emotional and social well being too.

Lisa's fought hard for her recovery and although she relapsed a few times along the way (with one relapse leading to her being hospitalised), she learnt that repeating the same actions, would produce the same result - drunken madness and sadness! (This is the insanity of alcohol addiction).

As time went by, Lisa realised that she was no longer in denial about her addiction and she kept attending groups because she wanted to get well.

Despite her setbacks, Lisa was determined to push forwards, taking one step at a time.

She met members from a local organisation known as ‘Creative Start’, part of an abstinence-based recovery community based at ‘The Comeback’ Drop-In Centre and Art Studio on Abbey Walk in Grimsby.

She felt an instant connection to everyone. They understood her, even when she was at her lowest and didn’t understand herself.

Lisa looked up to many of them in a positive light, as they had also battled through their individual struggles and addictions.

She was inspired, not only did these other members have lived experience of the same issues, they were willing to share their hope, strength and wisdom with her.

Upon being discharged from ‘Addaction’, Lisa became a full-time member of ‘The Comeback’ Recovery Community.

Alcohol addiction had left her with a huge void to fill and it was here that she found a sense of belonging. The team and other members made her feel welcome and she soon realised that being around people in recovery was quite infectious!

Lisa began to feel like she was fully involved and was provided with many opportunities at ‘The Comeback’ drop-in service, engaging with Counselling and Hypnotherapy services, Recovery Coach training, Holistic Therapies and Art workshops, all of which were very beneficial to her mental well-being.

Prior to addiction, Lisa had always been creative, however, her artistic flair was lost during active addiction.

The ‘Paint the Town Proud’ project (www.paintthetownproud.com) is ongoing throughout 2022 and Lisa looks forward to seeing it being completed in the very near future.



She feels very privileged to be part of team and is very grateful to have such a wonderful support network around her. Lisa would encourage anyone suffering with addiction to get in touch with ‘The Comeback’ because life is beautiful and much better sober.

'Sobriety is the gift that keeps on giving and the courage to speak out makes change possible'.