11 February 2026
Recovery journeys: Stories from the Residential Rehab Pathway in Dundee
The Residential Rehab Pathway in Dundee supports people and their families through every stage of recovery. From preparing for rehabilitation to returning home, one recovery worker stays with them throughout their journey.
Here are four stories showing how partnership working and personalised support help people build the lives they want.
B's story: Six months and counting
B was in the army in his teens and worked as a scaffolder. He tried cocaine for the first time in his 20s with friends. As his friends stopped, B found he couldn't.
He used party drugs including ecstasy, ketamine, MDMA and cocaine for about 20 years. He never thought he had a problem because he held down his job. He took cocaine every single day, even at work on tall buildings and over water. Over five years, he spent about £70,000 on it.
Things got worse after a relationship breakdown and losing his job. He lost his home. His relationships with family broke down. His physical and mental health got worse. He lost contact with his children. The guilt, shame and isolation made everything harder.
After he started having seizures, B's GP referred him to WithYou. He started coming to groups and one-to-one meetings, getting ready for residential rehab through motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy.
We put B in touch with Dundee Independent Advocacy Service. They helped with his housing issues, went to court hearings about his eviction, and made sure he had proper legal support. When things got really difficult after losing his job, B got wrap-around support. It was a turning point. He realised he needed to put himself first.
B chose the right residential rehab provider for him. He completed his 12-week placement and came home to join our aftercare programme. He received 12 weeks of support after that, including weekly one-to-one sessions, group work, and mutual aid. He moved into secure housing and got back in touch with his children and mum.
B has now been abstinent for over six months. "That's a really really big deal," he says. DIAS helped him get housing from Dundee City Council. Veterans 1st Point gave him anger management support and he's now having psychotherapy sessions. He keeps going to mutual aid meetings and is due to start a new job.
Without WithYou and others, I wouldn't be sitting here right now," B says. "I would be dead, I genuinely would be. My two kids wouldn't have a dad if it wasn't for the support I received. And that's a big thing.
A's story: Reunited with her daughter
A is a 31-year-old mother and survivor of domestic violence and complex trauma. She'd been using substances for around six years, starting with benzodiazepines which escalated to heroin when a new partner offered it to her.
She lost custody of her nine-year-old daughter. She was also in a relationship with a drug dealer who was violent and controlling. Her drug use got worse as a way of coping. She started injecting heroin.
The final turning point came when she woke with third-degree burns on her hands and face with no memory of how it happened. She spent six months healing and was moved to homeless accommodation for her own safety. "I basically wanted to die," she recalls.
A came to our groups every week and met peers who were going to residential rehab. Through group and one-to-one sessions, she started to believe there might be another way.
She stayed in residential rehab for three months, reducing her opioid substitution therapy and getting abstinent. "I got off everything and it was the hardest thing I've ever done," she says.
A is now back in the community, completely drug-free. She has joint custody of her daughter again and enjoys spending every other weekend with her. Her ex-partner fully supports her recovery. She continues to attend weekly post-rehab groups and plans to get involved in the Recovery Coaching programme.
SR's story: A fresh start in Aberdeen
SR came to us facing multiple challenges. He was on a high dose of opioid replacement therapy, using illicit benzodiazepines, and living with serious mental health difficulties.
We worked closely with Dundee Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service and Dundee Independent Advocacy Service. SR got one-to-one support and group sessions using psychosocial interventions and cognitive behavioural therapy-based tools while cutting down his medication.
When SR was ready for residential treatment, we stayed in regular contact with his keyworker, checking in on his progress throughout his time there.
SR completed his placement and moved to Aberdeen with support for a new tenancy. He now goes to a day programme at least twice a week and has the chance to become a peer at a treatment centre. Most importantly, he's rebuilt relationships with his family that had been broken for several years.
LM's story: Taking time to build trust
LM was referred to us by NHS hospital liaison nurses after a long hospital stay. He'd been working on getting his mobility back, dealing with multiple health concerns and serious mental health difficulties. Building trust took time through regular hospital visits from Dundee Independent Advocacy Service and our team.
LM has a diagnosis of schizophrenia and has lived with mental health difficulties throughout his life. Working with the Community Mental Health Team, he started a monthly depot injection of mental health medication, which gave him more stability.
When LM left hospital, there were big concerns about where he'd live. He's been coerced and exploited in the past. Working with Dundee City Council, we found him a place in a local hostel where there's staff support 24 hours a day.
LM's goal was to find a residential placement that would suit his complex needs while letting him stabilise and stop using street diazepam, crack cocaine and heroin. He didn't want to reduce his opioid substitution therapy before going to rehab, so we looked at a placement at Safe as Houses in Dumbarton.
More than a year after being referred, LM started his placement in June 2025. His full professional team is still involved. LM continues to get support from DIAS and WithYou.