My Addiction Consumed Years of My Life - Tim Haigh

This week on Life After Prison, Jules is joined by Tim Haigh.

Growing up around poverty, instability and trauma, he found himself caught up in crime from a young age. As a teenager, he was sentenced to nearly ten years in prison, and after his release became trapped in a cycle of addiction, offending and destructive choices that affected every part of his life.

He lost friends, spent years battling heroin addiction, and reached a point where he knew something had to change.

Instead of becoming another statistic, he made the decision to rebuild.

Today, he’s been clean for more than two decades, works with young people, prisons and communities, and has written a book called The Leopard That Changed His Spots, sharing the lessons from a journey that took him from prison and addiction to a life of purpose.

Organisations:

Lived Experience Speakers - Uses real-life stories and lived experience to educate, inspire, and empower young people, helping them make positive choices and avoid crime, gangs, and exploitation. The organisation delivers workshops in schools, prisons, colleges, and community settings, focusing on prevention, rehabilitation, and personal development.

Switchback - Support young men leaving prison to build stable, meaningful lives through intensive one-to-one mentoring, employment support, and personal development.

Aspire2Change – They work with young people and adults at risk of offending or reoffending, offering mentoring, education, and skills training. Their focus is on building confidence, resilience, and opportunities to support positive life choices and reduce involvement in crime.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

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If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

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