featuring PAVILIONS addiction recovery
‘It has been over 3 months now since I last drank alcohol and the longest it has ever been since I was 21. I never want it in my life.’
THEN: ‘I have been a heavy binge drinker since I was 21. I am 39 years old now. I have lived in Brighton all my life and love this town but there is a drinking hole on nearly every street. I drank myself into the next century.’
‘Having spent thousands of pounds on drink over the years, the hangovers got worse and I needed more and more, I could no longer enjoy myself without that drink in my hand. I blamed others and when I woke up I felt massive anxiety, guilt, fear, depression, you name it, I had it all. I managed to keep a business going and manage other projects but felt like death for days and days.’
‘Then my girlfriend broke up with me and kicked me out of the house, and that is when something needed to happen and I wanted it to happen, so I contacted Pavilions, and that is where my recovery journey began.’
NOW: ‘I have a passion for living again and love the things around me, especially the sea. It has been over 3 months now since I last drank alcohol and the longest it has ever been since I was 21, I never want it in my life. These days I work hard, swim four times a week in the pool, I eat well, sleep well, taste food again, I am the happiest I have ever been. I am decisively a better dad. Before, I would give my seven-year-old son the iPad and say – there you go, play with that, now I drag him swimming in the pool, kayaking in the sea, bless, he must be exhausted’.
‘I dive in the sea at 6:30 in the morning on Sundays. I catch the sun rise and take photos from different angles. The sea is my church, my haven, my strength, it restores me mentally and physically. The sea is my saviour.’
This is the story of Bobby Miller, the artist who photographs the sea. Bob attends talking therapy groups at Pavilions, in Brighton.
PAVILIONS at ARTISTS’ OPEN HOUSES – Homelessness, recovery and outsider art
I believe the Bobby’s story speaks for itself. Pavilions are known for their vital work in Brighton in supporting people on their way to recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.
Their approach is compassionate; their main message is that recovery is a journey. The less stigma it bears, the more people can come forward and engage in the process which ultimately leads to the results they seek.
Alongside their core offer, Pavilions also have groups where participants can express their creativity.The groups are a creative outlet as well as social events with people experiencing similar life journeys. Pavilions call these events ‘investing in one’s Recovery Capital’.
Various homelessness, recovery and support services will open their doors to showcase their artwork to the public on the 19th of May, as part of this year’s Artist Open Houses theme focusing on homelessness, recovery and outsider art.
The Brighton Artists’ Open House is the largest event of this kind in the UK. This year the theme has a focus on homelessness, recovery and outsider art. Pavilions open their doors to the public on the 19th of May, between 11-4pm.
You can see timings for all other venues on AOH’s website.
The last two paintings will also be exhibited on the day and they are titled: 1) Japanese garden (author anonymous) and 2) ‘Everyday I ask myself what I am doing and why’ by Bethan Leigh