Recovering drug addict Leeh Howell has proven the sky is the limit during recovery - after becoming a skydiver. Just three years ago, Leeh’s very life was in a desperate free fall, begging on the streets of Stirling to get a daily fix of heroin.
But he has gone from the gutter to the clouds, thanks to a detox and long term residential rehab - plus a massive amount of determination to get his life back. He is on the brink of becoming a certified solo skydiver after completing a series of free falls with Skydive Strathallan at an airfield near Glasgow.
Leeh, 37, is now back in touch with his three sons and has rebuilt his relationship with his parents, who paid for a last-gasp drug detox three years ago, which led to long term rehab with the Jericho House charity, then further support. Leeh is also employed by the Sisco organisation, helping people in prison deal with addiction issues and prepare for life outside.
He said: “I see the skydiving as symbolic of the turnaround I’ve had. I did a tandem jump when I was 19 and healthy and it was it feels now like I’ve now come full circle. I’m got myself back to the life I should have been living, one I can enjoy and be proud of.
“It has taken a lot of work and determination on my part but I have had so much support from people. I think it’s fair to say that I am living proof that rehab can work if it done right and if there is ongoing support for people.
“From where I am now to where I was is a million miles away and I’m making up for lost time, making the most of every day.” Leeh has now done almost 20 jumps from a plane and will shortly be licensed to jump without supervision.
When Leeh was at rock bottom he was begging outside a bank in Stirling’s city centre in 2018. He had lost all contract with his mother and father, mainly through shame at the life he had fallen into, spending all his time seeking money to buy drugs.
He was desperate for rehab and a route to a drug free life - but all he was being offered was methadone. When his family were alerted to his situation in Stirling they scraped together £6,000 for a last chance at saving Leeh’s life, funding a detox course at the Abbeycare facility.
The real lifesaver for Leeh was getting a place at the Jericho House centre in Greenock, which led to long term abstinence from drugs in a therapeutic environment. He then managed to get supported housing and his hard work led to a job, where he is thriving as a support worker for prisoners seeking to overcome addiction.
He is also back in the lives of his three sons, whom he sees regularly. Leeh is also on the board of a homelessness charity and in a serious relationship with partner Alyson, an outreach worker for people in addiction.
He said: “I thought I had lost everything, forever, but I have been able to repair a lot of the damage I have done and I am still working on all that. I can’t tell you how good it feels to know that my parents are really proud of me.
“To have my sons share stuff with me and be part of my life is another thing that feels like a miracle to be honest. I guess I came very close to losing everything but I never gave up.
“And there are so many people out there who could do the same as me if they get the right support.”
Leeh said the Scottish Government’s response to our drugs crisis has been badly hampered by a “postcode lottery” where some areas have access to rehab and some don’t have funding for it, even after funding was greatly increased.
He said: “People need to be given a chance for long term treatment and they need to remain connected to services when that ends. At the moment the system is full of blockages, full of fobbing-off and people aren’t getting what they were promised.
“But people can genuinely get back to lives worth living if they can get support.”
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