Toby's Story

Toby's Story

“I was a trauma surgeon for many years, dealing with some of the most complex cases. However, I started to suffer from severe depression and I turned to alcohol, which caught me in a downward spiral. I decided that it was time to turn my life around, I started to engage with DHI.

“When I had a gastrointestinal bleed during a 1:1 session, I was rushed to hospital and I underwent an alcohol detox from the ward. Having detoxed, I needed the support of a dry house to keep me from relapsing and that is what DHI’s Burlington House project provided me with.

“I’ve now been abstinent for 1 year and I am glad that I can use my experience to help other people as a peer mentor and by running a music group at DHI’s treatment centre.

“Thanks to the support I received and the effort I put in, I am now in a position to be looking at a return to medicine.”

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