Steven Baynton
A TEESSIDE man given eight months to live after alcohol addiction killed part of his pancreas has beaten the booze and hit the books instead. Steven Baynton, 32, of Billingham is getting his life back on track and planning a brighter future after willpower and strong support from a charity helped him recover from near fatal addiction. After leaving school, Steven had a solid career path ahead of him as a chef and he had progressed from trainee up to head chef by the age of 28 working in a number of pubs and restaurants across the region. But, a growing addiction to alcohol eventually cost him his job, his relationship, his son Jacob, his family and all his friends. Steven said: “I lost everything because I was constantly drinking. The only friend I had was the alcohol. I was going through jobs because I was going to work off my trolley.” The turning point came when Steven was referred by the primary alcohol and drugs service to Kairos, an alcohol rehabilitation centre in Durham run by leading supported housing charity Norcare. At the time, the impact of his drinking had taken its toll on his body with his weight plummeting from 14-stone down to nine-and-a-half stone. A cyst had grown on part of his pancreas that had been killed by years of alcohol abuse. He said: “When I arrived at Kairos, the staff said it was like I was on death’s door. Going there was the best decision I ever made – it saved my life.” Six months of intensive support was followed by ongoing contact with Norcare’s health improvement team. Vicki Richardson, Norcare health improvement officer, said: “The transformation in Steven’s health has been nothing short of phenomenal. He has a tremendous mindset to beat alcohol addiction and is extremely positive about what the future holds for him.” Stephen has now enrolled on a computer course at Billingham Adult Education Centre which he hopes will be the first step back to work. The course will be a stepping stone to an NVQ in Conservation which is where Stephen would like to forge a new career. He is also making great progress with the rest of his life having just earned a sailing certificate from the Cirdan Sailing Trust which offers young people the opportunity to experience life at sea on large sailing vessels. Stephen was part of a crew sailing the 70-foot Faramir yacht. Speaking about starting again in education, he said: “This has been a life-changing experience, the best thing that has ever happened in my life. It is a new start, a new beginning and I have the rest of my life to look forward to. My goal is to go back to work and make something of my life and help other people in my situation.” ENDS |
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