Stepps Latest News

March 2008 - Local school tackles alcoholism

The King's School, Gloucester, has demonstrated that social responsibility is high on its agenda by inviting Dominic Quinlan, founder of Stepps, to lead a seminar for pupils on the effects of alcohol and drug misuse.

Dominic has first-hand experience at the devastating effects of addiction. At the age of 18 he left school and spiralled down the path of drink and drug abuse, rapidly losing control of his life and threatening not only his own existence but leaving his family and friends in turmoil. Years of self-destruction and several failed rehabilitation attempts followed before Dominic finally overcame his addiction with the help of a treatment centre.

Since being in recovery, Dominic’s life has been devoted to helping others in similar situations, primarily through Stepps, but also by offering his life story and experiences to young people.

“From personal experience I know that telling teenagers what to do and what not to do is not the best method of getting through to them,” explains Dominic. “Quite frankly it is more likely to make them do the opposite, so I try to educate them by using myself as a real-life example in the hope that they will take it on board and make up their own minds about their future. I tell them my story and share my experiences, from the dark days of alcoholism and its effects on all who were close to me, through to opening the doors of Stepps and helping others in the recovery process.”

“It’s rewarding to see my message getting through to them, particularly during the question and answer session where they can ask me anything they like, either about my story or personal issues they may have. It can be quite eye-opening to see the concerns of young people these days and, if I can make even one kid think twice about going down the road I did, it’s worth it.”

Dominic’s latest seminar, which took place last week, forms part of The King’s School’s PSHE & Citizenship course which aims to assist pupils in making sensible and informed choices regarding their future life skills and careers.