A Better Tomorrow helped save my life, says dad-of-two Dan

A father of two recovering from crack cocaine and heroin addiction says an award-winning Telford community company has helped save his life.

Dan Doherty says he would be dead or in prison today if it had not been for help he received from Telford recovery specialists A Better Tomorrow and the Offending 2 Recovery (O2R) programme run by West Midlands Police.

Dan, aged 35, has been living in a special ‘dry house’ run by A Better Tomorrow since moving from Birmingham to Telford 15 months ago to join one of its addiction recovery programmes.

He has now been commended with a special award by West Midlands Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner to mark the transformation in his life, which includes starting a part-time job later this month.

The award was given to honour Dan’s ‘outstanding commitment and motivation in overcoming great personal adversity and being an inspiration to others’.

Dan, who has an 11-year-old daughter and six-year-old son, said his life had changed beyond recognition since moving to Telford.

“I was on crack and heroin for five years or so and got arrested a couple of times for shoplifting. I was living and sleeping rough and it drove me to my knees.

“It stopped me from being a Dad to my children and stole my soul, my morals, and my dignity. It robbed me of my peace of mind and left me isolated and on my own. I wanted to die.

“If it was not for A Better Tomorrow and the O2R programme I would probably be dead or in prison by now. The fact that I am clean is 1,000 per cent down to the help I have received.

“A Better Tomorrow is the best place I have ever been. It’s different to anything else I have been involved with because they have a centre you can attend every day to keep busy. This is the longest I have been clean for years and I cannot thank everyone at ABT enough for the support they have given me.”

Dan now volunteers with A Better Tomorrow two days a week, something he will continue to do when he starts his part-time job.

“I want to give people hope that you can live a good life and not have to destroy it through addiction. I still have my problems but no longer need to use drugs to deal with them. You don’t have to mask your problems with drugs, which is what I was doing. I want to finish my two-year programme, get a flat, have some peace and happiness and a holiday with my kids.”

A Better Tomorrow, which is based in Woodside, works to help those in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, those with poor mental health and women fleeing domestic abuse.

Chief Operating Officer Martin Cantrill said: “Dan has put in a huge amount of work to move forward and transform his life, and the fact that he is now volunteering with us shows just how far he has come in the last 15 months.

“He has shown real courage and determination to break free from the chains of addiction and reclaim his life.” 

A Better Tomorrow was set up in 2014 and now provides accommodation and services to support more than 700 clients and works closely with Telford & Wrekin Council. It has helped 3,742 individuals to move forward positively with their lives over the last decade.

The West Midlands O2R scheme, which was launched in 2018, is a transformative initiative aimed at securing long-term behavioural change among offenders driven by drug and alcohol addiction.

The team includes addiction trained police officers and specialist staff from the drug and alcohol service, working closely with retailers, the probation service, local charities, housing associations, healthcare providers, colleges and others support agencies.

Pic: Dan Doherty, centre, receives his award from Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster and West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford