A man who was once a homeless drug addict turned his life around. With the help of a local homeless charity, a kind-hearted volunteer tutor and a gym that ‘gave him a chance’ Ryan Riley is now the happiest he has been in a long time. The 29-year-old was in and out of prison, as he dabbled in crime to fund his addiction. He is now determined to help others who have been in a similar situation and feel like they have nowhere to turn. Ryan has been sober for five months and sought help at a charity in Grimsby called Harbour Place. It was here that his interest in fitness inspired staff to deliver educational courses to service users. He completed a distance learning course in Health, Exercise and Nutrition and is now volunteering at a local gym and We Are With You charity. His aim is to become a personal trainer to people who are in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. Speaking exclusively to Grimsby Live, Ryan said: “I was a totally different person to now. I was in a place where I didn’t think it was possible to come back from. [The course] has given me so much confidence and an ability to believe that I can do it, and I can be something. Kath used to always tell me in the classes, ‘You deserve it, Ryan, you can do this’, but I’d always look for something to focus on to sabotage it all, I’d get Imposter Syndrome. Subscribe here for the latest news where you live “But a lot of us just need a chance. When I was on the streets people set me on fire and a lot of bad things happened to me, but in a way I did put myself in that position through the choices I made, so it was all about learning from that and trying not to make those mistakes again. “I was rough sleeping, going to prison, getting out homeless, doing the same things I was doing, then going back to prison, it was a cycle that I found difficult to break. When I first met Charlene I was 20 months completely clean of all substances, but I ended up relapsing last July, and I overdosed. I was given CPR for nine minutes. The saddest thing was that I never wanted to be in that position. I just wanted things to stop. “I was so afraid of people seeing that weakness. I could see how proud everybody was of me but I was never proud of myself. It was the gym that changed everything for me, and I’ve been clean since October. Charlene and Kath have taught me to find balance and not focus on little negative things that are out of my control. You’re always going to face opposition, but it’s just how you react to it.” Harbour Place Volunteer Co-ordinator Charlene said: “I’m so proud of him in his placement. The manager at the gym, Michael, has really took care of Ryan and took him under his wing, and I’ve seen a big difference in Ryan from going there. They’ve all took him in as family and Ryan feels like he’s found a new way of life. “I wouldn’t want to get up and go to a course or go to work if I’d had to sleep rough the night before, but Ryan still turned up to his course and gave 100 pe
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