18 May 2026
For most of his adult life, Alex Foy moved between three places: prison, hospital, and the streets of Glasgow.
His brother died while still in the homelessness system. He lost two partners to drug use. For years, he genuinely expected to die.
Now 54, Alex is nearly five years clean, a graduate of the Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) National Traineeship, and about to begin volunteering two days a week at WithYou's Glasgow North West hub.
His story shows what we mean when we say lived experience is woven into everything we do.
A life in crisis
Alex grew up in Springburn. He started using solvents and alcohol when he was 12. By 14, he was in secure care. In his late teens, he started using drugs and ended up in a coma so serious that a priest performed the last rites.
He survived, but the years that followed brought homelessness, repeated imprisonment, and a revolving door of unsuccessful treatment.
"My alcohol use went through the roof because that's all that I lived for," Alex says. "Every hostel I was put in I was kicked out of because of getting drunk and fighting."
He tried to get support for his drug and alcohol challenges often. Each time, he would leave a programme and return to the same patterns.
"I gave up on myself," he says. "I gave up trying, I gave up thinking, I just accepted my life."
There came a point when he genuinely wanted to die. He’d watched close friends, his brother, and partners lose their lives. He assumed the same was coming for him.
But it didn't happen. And eventually, that shifted something.
I got to the point that I realised it wasn't going to happen to me, so what was I going to do? I was going to have to live, and I realised that my past experience was my asset.
Finding a way through
The turning point came when Alex was at a crisis support service and, for the first time, seriously considered abstinence. He’d seen people he knew find their way through fellowship. He decided to try it himself.
"I’d no plans or intention to get clean, I just wanted the chaos to stop," he says. "This time I decided I should try and take nothing, no using, no drinking, no prescriptions, and see if things improved."
They did. Gradually, through fellowship meetings and the support of the people around him, he found a way forward.
The SDF traineeship
In 2024, Alex signed up for the SDF National Traineeship, a nine-month, salaried programme combining work placements, specialist training and vocational learning. Participants work towards an SVQ in Social Services and Healthcare, with around 85% going on to secure employment across the drug, alcohol and wider social care sectors.
Alex's placement was at WithYou's Glasgow North West hub, where James Simon, Community Engagement Coordinator, became his mentor.
"I was welcomed at once. I actually enjoyed everything," Alex says.
From the beginning, the staff made space for him. Recovery workers, community engagement staff, access workers, everyone was willing to set aside what they were doing and answer a question, talk something through, or let him shadow them on visits and client referrals. He sat in on group sessions, joined James for presentations to ADPs and treatment centres, and watched the day-to-day work of the hub up close.
"The staff are always there to help and guide," he says. "Always."
Throughout his placement, he also took a weekly fellowship meeting in Barlinnie Prison, something he'd been involved with for two and a half years.
I was never out of prison, and suddenly I was going there to help other guys.
What Alex brings to his work is something no qualification alone can give.
When he sits with someone in a group, or hears about what a person is going through, he can place himself in their position in a way that goes beyond training.
"I've been there, and I've thought their thoughts, and I've talked that talk, and I’ve felt that way," he says.
He's already beginning to see his work make a difference. People he sat with in groups at the North West hub, in those early weeks, are beginning to move forward. He recognises where they are. He knows what the first steps take.
"I'm watching guys looking better, seeing a bit of light back in their eyes, seeing them try wee things," he says. "I know where they are, because I've been there myself. Those wee things might seem simple, but they all add up."
What comes next
Alex is now looking for part-time work in recovery and, in the meantime, will be volunteering at the North West hub two days a week.
If you don't use it, you lose it," he says. "I want to keep my mind trained. I want to keep doing the things I've been shown.
Lived experience isn't a box we tick. It's in our services, our groups, our community outreach, and in people like Alex. Someone who has lived through the hardest of experiences, found a way through, and is now using everything he's learned to help others do the same.
If you or someone you know needs support with drugs, alcohol or mental health, WithYou is here. Our services are free, confidential and non-judgmental. Find your nearest service at www.wearewithyou.org.uk/local-hubs/north-west-glasgow
