11 November 2026
For Scott Happer, recovery really took hold when he started giving back.
“I found that when I was helping other people, it empowered me as well,” he says. “I think that’s what really gave me the boost in recovery to maintain it.”
Today, Scott is a rehab recovery worker with WithYou in the Scottish Borders. He supports people as they prepare for residential rehab, during their stay, and when they return to their local community.
Scott, who's 42, came to this work through his own experience.
He had a tough time at school, which left him short on confidence. When he first drank alcohol, as a young teenager, he noticed the difference straight away.
“I became much more confident,” he recalls. “Something clicked in my head and I thought, if I want to be myself, I just need to reach for a drink.”
At 16, Scott got a job in construction, where he says drug use was accepted among some of his peers. He also had trouble with alcohol, and went to prison in his early 20s. After his release, he started using heroin and benzodiazepines.
Scott later met his partner, and they had a son together. Tragically, she died in 2010, when their son was still a baby.
“You'd think that would shock me into not using, but it didn't,” he says. “I carried on for a good few years after that.”
He was supported by WithYou, then known as Addaction, and had long spells without using. But he kept going back to drugs.
“I think it almost numbed me from the stuff that had happened in the past,” he says.
Things changed after he was hit by a car and broke his leg.
I remember sitting in a hospital bed thinking, this is it now, I'm not continuing with this anymore,” he recalls. “Being off my feet with a broken leg gave me time to think and reflect on my life. I decided that I wanted to do something to help people.
After a year in England, away from the community he knew, he came home and started volunteering with Borders In Recovery, a peer-led recovery community. Two years later, he joined WithYou as a rehab recovery worker.
Many people assume rehab is only for people whose lives are in chaos. Scott says that isn't quite how it works.
“That’s a misconception,” he explains. “You have to have a certain level of stability, or at least be consistent with your substance use, so that they can cater to your needs.”
People are referred onto the rehab pathway, which is the route into residential rehab. We work with NHS Borders Addiction Service, a children and families service called CHIMES, and local housing services. A panel meets monthly to discuss referrals.
As well as emotional support, Scott helps people sort out anything that could put their recovery at risk while they’re in rehab. That might be housing, the risk of losing supportive relationships, or even who will look after their pets. He works with housing services on this and refers people to other support when they need it.
“The last thing you want is someone to go into rehab thinking, ‘My dog's not safe,’” he says. “It's about making everything as stable as possible, so the person stays in rehab for the full duration.”
There are several rehabs in Scotland, each offering something different, and Scott often arranges visits so people can get a feel for a place before they go.
“My job is to work with people and see what matches them, what meets their needs best and what rehab they feel is for them” he says.
Scott also helps run a six-week pre-rehab group with Janie, an occupational therapist, and Ryan, a support worker, both from Borders Addiction Service.
A lot of people suffer from isolation when they're using substances,” he says. “So it's good to get people together, and get them used to group work and working with people.
For Scott, the biggest challenge comes later, when people come home from a stay in rehab. He thinks the support afterwards is probably even more important than the preparation.
“When people come out from a controlled environment like that, they’re often coming back to the same environment that they left,” he says. “Going back into their local community, that’s really the test.
“It’s imperative that we have something in place for them.”
So Scott makes sure support is waiting for people close to their home, such as recovery cafes, SMART Recovery groups, and fellowship meetings.
Seeing people successfully complete rehab is what makes his job worthwhile.
“I enjoy seeing someone go through rehab, and then seeing the difference in them once they've come back out and they're going to groups,” he says. “They just seem to come alive again. It's great to see.”
Scott also works for Borders In Recovery as a peer navigator at Borders General Hospital, and the two roles link closely. There, he supports people who come into hospital in crisis because of drugs or alcohol, including after a non-fatal overdose. A referral can come in at any hour.
“When people are in crisis in hospital they often don't know where to turn next,” he says. “I can say, well, there are these options here. Sometimes you mention rehab, and they'll say, ‘I've not tried rehab. Maybe I should try that.’”
Some of the people he first met in hospital have gone on to join the rehab pathway once they have engaged in structured support. There's always scope for more rehab places, Scott says, but he believes people in recovery have more opportunities now than they did 10 or 15 years ago.
For Scott himself, things have moved quickly over the last couple of years, but he isn't making any big plans at the moment.
“I'm just going to see where life takes me,” he says. “Sometimes I have to reflect on where I was 15 to 20 years ago, and remember that, actually, I’ve come quite far.”
If you live in the Borders and you'd like to find out more about our free, confidential support, including help to explore residential rehab, visit wearewithyou.org.uk/local-hubs/scottish-borders.
