A Glasgow charity worker who was once at "rock bottom" is now helping others overcome addiction.
Ami Laurie, 37, spent three months at Abbeycare Scotland in Erskine last summer, where she received treatment for alcohol addiction.
“I was at rock bottom before I went into Abbeycare. I had lost my home, I had no job, I was bankrupt, I’d lost my fiancé, everything,” Ami recalls.
She continued: “I was down and out, so I had to move back in with my parents. I was suicidal, and by the end of 2022, nobody thought I was going to make it.
“I’d been in hospital for a detox over that Christmas and I was told that if I had another drink I would die – but I still kept drinking all the way until I was admitted to Abbeycare in May 2023, five months later.”
It was during her stay that Ami took part in a unique ‘Anonymous Drama’ therapy programme pioneered by Glasgow-based charity Creative Change Collective.
The programme allows people to express themselves in a safe environment which is less emotionally triggering. Participants speak to one another about their experiences, but do not reveal which parts of the stories they choose to tell are fictional and which parts are based on real life.
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Ami said: “Everyone laughed so much. When you’re in rehab, a lot of the work you do is on yourself all day, every day, and to have that break is just such a relief.
“I rediscovered that I was quite creative, and started writing poetry when I was in rehab about my journey, and used that in what we produced.
“It’s amazing how creative some of the people in the sessions are, they just don’t know it. It can reveal a side to them that they’ve never looked at before.
“It definitely helped with my recovery by showing me I could do stuff I’m not comfortable with and helped me regain my confidence.”
Now Ami works for Creative Change Collective as a lived experience delivery team member, and recently returned to Abbeycare’s clinic to lead one of its 16-week courses.
Mark MacNicol, Creative Change Collective project director, said: “As Ami's journey illustrates, one of the unique elements of the programme is that drama therapy-type work can be successfully delivered by lived experience individuals with no prior qualifications in either drama or therapy.
“In many cases, initially hesitant participants develop a real enthusiasm for the programme. I’m appreciative of Abbeycare's support and look forward to potentially expanding the programme across Scotland.”
Ami's group is currently preparing for a live event which is due to place at Erskine Arts on Wednesday, April 3, at 7pm.
Tickets are available for £5 and can be purchased online.
Tickets for the show can be purchased HERE
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Anonymous Drama is currently delivered in Renfrewshire, West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow, and North Ayrshire, residential and community rehabs as well as prison and community sentence groups.
To find out more, click HERE
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