James: ‘I am really grateful to have this reading group and Damien John Kelly House. I wish so many more people could get this kind of help’ 

James: ‘I am really grateful to have this reading group and Damien John Kelly House. I wish so many more people could get this kind of help.’ 

James, a 39-year-old father-of-two and former heavy goods mechanic/works manager, originally from Tyne and Wear, lives at Damien John Kelly (DJK) House in Wavertree, Liverpool - an abstinence-based recovery centre for men dealing with alcohol and drug addiction.  

He is part of a weekly Shared Reading group at The Reader’s home in Calderstones Park, South Liverpool. Members of DJK House connect and share experiences using stories and poems. There is no pressure to talk or read aloud. 

I have been attending the Shared Reading group for five-and-a-half-months since moving into DJK House. It has been brilliant – lifechanging!  

I really look forward to the reading group at The Reader. The location is so peaceful, especially after living a chaotic life often in a room full of other addicts. 

We all have a different opinion on what we are reading and it is good to hear other people’s opinions. Sometimes there are debates, which go into crazy places, and you never know where it might go. It is good fun! 

I like a lot of the poetry. There is usually someone in the group who can relate to a particular poem or theme - whether it is grief, mental health or loss. 

The group leaders Mary and Megan are absolutely brilliant, and their input is always great. Megan has even given me advice on what books to get my kids for Christmas as they both love reading. Their mam’s a teacher – and my daughter has a full bookcase of books. 

I read when I have some downtime. One of the books I have enjoyed is Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead about a boy whose grown up in poverty in rural America, and deals with drug addiction. 

I am really grateful to have this group and DJK House. It is a one in a million place. I wish so many more people could get this kind of help. 

My addictions started in my teens, but I have experienced the most hardcore effects with severe blackouts over the last four years. I had a lot of trauma in childhood and an alcoholic mother. She took her own life in 2016 – and after that my drinking took on another level.  

Two years ago, on Christmas Eve I left my kids and ex-partner. I realised that I was turning into my mum and didn’t want to be like that around my kids. My daughter is 13 and my son is 10. 

I was so much like my mum. I had so many hospital trips and attempted suicide on a number of occasions. I have an older brother and sister, they really care about us, but it was much too upsetting for them. I know they were worried about not ever seeing me again. 

I was offered a last-minute rehab place in Runcorn – and went there for three months where I stopped drinking. It was here I heard about Damien John Kelly House in Liverpool - that is what saved my life.  

It is just the best - there are 17 of us and I can honestly say I have done more in the past few months than I have in my life. Every day there’s something different on – from film clubs to bike rides and concerts at Liverpool Philharmonic. It is very sports, arts and culture based – I have even had a guitar donated to me. I love philosophy now and do a photography walk every week. We have structure. 

Megan, Development Coordinator, The Reader, runs the group with former staff member Mary, who helped set it up in January 2022. 

“When Mary asked me to co-lead this group with her, I expected to enjoy myself, but I never expected to feel like this. The lads have just invited me in; I feel like one of them now and for that I'm so grateful. I leave work every Monday with a smile on my face and pain in my stomach from laughing. No matter how difficult the texts or the discussions we have are, they find a way to find the bright side.” 

For more than 20 years The Reader has been building a community of Shared Reading groups across the UK believing that literature has the potential to connect individuals, help us feel better and to rebuild lost social bonds. Shared Reading is proven to improve mental wellbeing and physical health.  

• To find out more about how The Reader’s work supports people recovering from addiction please visit here.

• For further information about Damien John Kelly House visit here.