OUR TEAM

HPCSA-MP0546933
Practice No-0706280

Qualifications-MMed (Psych) Cape Town (2010), FC Psych (SA) (2006), MB ChB Cape Town (1993), BSc Med (1990)

Health Conditions of Interest: Addiction, Anxiety Disorders, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Eating Disorders, Obsessive-compulsive Disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Schizophrenia.

Judy has recently relocated to Plettenberg Bay from Cape Town and has had personal and professional experience of both eating disorders and addiction. Psychiatrists with knowledge and a genuine interest in addictions are quite rare and so Twin Rivers feels extremely fortunate that Judy has agreed to assess our clients which will help us with client treatment planning.

Hello. I’m Tom and I am an ADDICT.

I have always been an addict and I will always be an addict.

I am now, however, an abstinent addict rather than an active addict.

The difference between those two positions is not just simply that I am no longer using. It’s a whole lot more than that.

• I am no longer deeply unhappy and suicidal.
• I am no longer having a hugely detrimental impact on the lives of my friends, family and pretty much everyone I meet.
• I am no longer deeply ashamed of who I am and what I’ve done.
• I am no longer self-destructing and praying for my life to be over!

In fact, today, as I write this, I am happy. More happy in fact than I’ve ever been in my life. If you had asked me 6 months ago if this was possible I would have said no way. In fact, what I would have said would have been incoherent, nonsensical gibberish because I was totally incapacitated!

So let’s go back a mere six months…….

I was in despair. Planning my own suicide and desperate for the pain to end. I was done, broken, exhausted, confused and miserable. My addiction had destroyed everything I cared about most in my world and I didn’t want my life anymore. Not the way it was, I wanted a way out.

I had tried numerous times to get help before throughout my life but due to the multi-faceted nature of my problems, I had never found a way forward. An approach that would look at all the issues I faced together and how they intricately interacted with one another. The public health system in the UK just simply does not have the systems in place to deal with mental health and addiction issues together, as one. A counsellor I had seen weekly for a while once told me that the only place I would be able to get the professional support I needed to address the addiction and mental health issues together was Harley Street in London. That was financially out of reach for me.

Six months ago, I went to my mother and I told her I was desperate, and I needed professional help. I thought rehab might be the answer, but I had nothing, no idea how to go about it or financial means to make it happen. She called a friend who worked as an addiction counsellor. This friend made a few suggestions but also put us on to a friend of hers. A recovering addict, now working in addiction services, he told us about Twin Rivers Rehab in South Africa. It seemed like the place for me, somewhere capable and with a proven track record of working with clients with a complicated multitude of issues.

I managed to get the financial support needed by my immediate family. This was not easy and was a very difficult request to make. I had spent years being a selfish and destructive guy blowing all my money on narcotics! Nevertheless, they agreed to help, but why in South Africa they asked? Can’t you do it here? My mother and I had spent a long time discussing this. Was Tom, the addict, just taking advantage again, merely looking for a nice long holiday in a beautiful country? But we could see the sense in it as, for a start it was considerably cheaper than UK options and It also had a better reputation then any we had looked at in the UK. I certainly wouldn’t be able to run away easily like I would in the UK! And if you are going to deal with a lifetime of addiction and trauma and you suffer with depression then nice weather and beautiful surroundings could make a massive positive difference.

I arrived at Twin Rivers a week later. Feeling scared, Confused, tired, miserable and hopeless yet it turned out to be the best decision I have ever made in my life.

The multi-disciplined team of counsellors at Twin Rivers along with the excellent psychiatrist they have partnered with managed to finally help me! My Bi-polar disorder was quickly recognised and brought under control with effective and minimal medication.

My personality disorder concerning Co-dependency was exposed for the first time and through the dedication of the focused counselling team I have learnt how to manage this and minimise the impact this has on my life.

Through better understanding of these issues and how they interact with the disease that is my addiction I have managed to start my life over. Life isn’t always easy but it’s manageable, without the desire for narcotics, for the first time in over 25 years.

So why contact me?

Well as a former Client of Twin Rivers I can speak from personal experience of how their unique approach to recovery can change your life. As an addict who has not only had difficulties with most substances throughout his life but also with depression and co-dependency I can try and offer support in times of crisis without judgement. As a recovering addict and whilst in Twin Rivers I have made friends with people suffering with all sorts of addictions including gambling, computer gaming, sexual addiction and substance abuse so if I cannot relate to you I can find someone who would be delighted to reach out and offer you support.

Taking the step to get in touch is not easy so you need to be brave. But it can change your life, completely. I am living proof of that as are all the team at Twin Rivers both in the UK and in South Africa. If calling is too hard to start with then feel free to just drop me a WhatsApp message. I will not call you until you are ready, we can simply chat over message until you are ready to take the next step.
Be brave. Change is possible. Please get in touch. Your new life is within reach.

Hi, my names Vincent and I’m an addict.

I want to tell you all about how I with the help of Twin Rivers managed to turn my life around. I’m going to give you some background into how my life was and I ask you to look for the similarities and not the differences, please.

I’ve been addicted to drink and drugs for most of my life. I started drinking at school and the drug-taking didn’t take me long. I drank because I was unhappy and soon realised I was still unhappy when I drank. So I started to take drugs to make me happy. This I’m ashamed to say went on for years drink unhappy drugs happy. It was a vicious circle with one leading to the other. I was like a hamster on a wheel going round and round.

Through my addiction, I lost everything that mattered to me. My family didn’t want to know me and I was an embarrassment to them. I destroyed my marriage and spent more time abusing my self than I did with my children. I had no friends and my relationship with my girlfriend was at breaking point.

Everywhere I went chaos ensued. I left a trail of destruction and didn’t give a hoot! I thought I was great at everything and never wrong. Well, how wrong was I? Friends stopped calling me and when I went out I could empty a pub in minutes with my boorish behaviour.

Eventually, I stopped going out and began to isolate at home. I could drink, smoke weed and sniff cocaine to my heart’s content with no hassle off anyone. I thought I could stop whenever I wanted but I knew deep down I couldn’t. My life was out of control and unmanageable. I got to the point where I thought what’s the point in being alive and days when I couldn’t get out of bed. And they were the good days!!

One day in October 2019 I had hit what is commonly known as rock bottom. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and wanted my life back. This moment of realisation got me to a counsellor who told me all about Twin Rivers in South Africa. I didn’t even have a passport but I knew I needed to get away from everything if I was going to have any chance at all. I was in South Africa within a week. Full of nerves and trepidation but with an overwhelming feeling of excitement.

Twelve people from all over the world. All with different stories but all wanting the same thing. A life worth living.

I thought all I had to do was stop drinking and taking drugs and everything would be alright.EASY!

With the help of David, Richard and the team I began to learn the reasons behind my addictions. I listened, I learned and worked hard on myself and my many faults. I spoke about my problems and found that by being open and honest about myself life was starting to become manageable. I had lots of things to live for my family, children and girlfriend for a start.

I’m not going to lie to you though it’s hard work this voyage of discovery and you have to want to do it. If you want to become honest, open-minded and have a willingness to change then you have every chance of finding the serenity I have.

My time in Twin Rivers opened my eyes to what I was and to what I am now. I’m a man whose family, children and girlfriend are proud of and want to spend time with. I’m a man who wants to help others with addiction.

I attend AA and NA meetings regularly and have found a new circle of friends through this. My days are full and contrary to what you think is clean doesn’t make you boring it brings joy and happiness to you and your loved ones.

I love life and can cope with anything now because Twin Rivers taught me that good days and bad days happen to everyone. It’s life. I don’t drink or take drugs on a bad day why would I? I like being me and don’t want to be the person I was who destroyed everything.

I hope this has been of some help to those of you still in active addiction and if I can be of any help please don’t hesitate to get in touch.