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Drugs 'ruined our lives' as calls made for support

Liam Evans
BBC News
BBC Mark and Elen take a selfie on a sofa with a bookcase full of books behind them. Elen has her hair tied back and is wearing glasses and a blue vest top, and Mark has short hair and stubble and is wearing a blue jacket and blue Adidas t-shirt. BBC
Mark and Elen have now been sober for over two years after a 12-year amphetamine addiction

Warning: this article refers to drugs and drug-taking throughout

A couple whose lives were blighted by drug addiction have said a treatment centre is keeping them sober as sector leaders say more money is needed to keep services going.

"We took amphetamine for about 12 years and it ruined our lives and had a massive impact," said Elen, 35, whose been sober two years since going to Penrhyn House in Bangor, Gwynedd.

Latest figures indicate the number of people in Wales referred to recovery services dropped in the last two years.

The Welsh government said it was investing more than £67m to improve support services and to reduce the number of future drug-related deaths.

"I didn't sleep, I couldn't function properly and I was always ill," said Elen of the years she lost to addiction.

Her partner Mark, 47, said the addiction was "stupidly hard".

"It would be all day, everyday... make some money... go get some more drugs... it was just constant."

The pair said Penrhyn House and the North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC) network, which supports people to keep sober, gave them a lifeline.

Penrhyn House helps people battling addiction and has offered guidance and support to people dealing with substance and alcohol addiction over the last 10 years, as well as helping individuals in the community.

Arwel faces the camera, wearing a white t-shirt. He has short dark hair and stubble and is stood in front of a large wooden shed-type structure.
Arwel Wyn Griffith says he's been able to change his life through the support he's received

Arwel Wyn Griffith, 35, from the Caernarfon area, said he had been fighting a cocaine addiction for 17 years after he started taking the Class A drug as a teenager.

"I suppose as a youngster I enjoyed it," he told BBC-produced Newyddion S4C.

"Soon after, at the age of 21, I realised I had an issue with it - I couldn't stop but my friends could stop.

"It was extremely bad, I didn't have any life at all and I was just locked in my room all the time. Sometimes I'd be crying on the way to pick it up but I'd still use it.

"It broke my family up."

Arwel is now 90 days sober and said coming to Penrhyn House changed his life.

"It's been a life-saver for me, it's changed my life around in a short space of time and I can't thank the place enough," he added.

Penrhyn House is operated by the NWRC, which received £94,420 from the Welsh government-funded North Wales Area Planning Board for 2025-2026.

"This is my second home," said Mark, talking about the centre.

"You come here and everyone is on the safe recovery path as you."

Mark said without the centre he would not have been able to become sober, adding: "Literally the best thing I ever did was walk through that door."

The facility has helped hundreds of people get clean and stay sober since opening.

The service is 80% self-sufficient with its funding but its director of operations James Deakin said more needed to be done to fund services helping people with their recovery, and a long-term investment plan was needed to keep people from relapsing

He added staying sober was the "hard part" for many.

James Deakin stands outside historic large grey brick building with a light blue bench in front of it. He is bald with a long beard with sunglasses on his head and has a sleeve of tattoos.
James Deakin says more needs to be done to support services such as Penrhyn House

Figures published on Wednesday by the Welsh government indicate the number of referrals made to drug and alcohol treatment agencies in Wales had fallen overall over the last two years.

There were 7,370 referrals from October to December 2022, rising to 8,124 from January to March 2023, compared to 6,658 from October to December 2024.

But Peredur Owen Griffiths, chairman of the cross-party Substance Use and Addiction Group in the Senedd, said the figures do not reflect the true picture across Wales.

While it was good the numbers were decreasing, he said, questions needed to be asked about why, adding: "Are there less services?

"Are people not being signposted to these services?

"From speaking to people in the sector they are busier than ever and that to me means people are still suffering."

The Welsh government said every drug-related death was "a tragedy".

"We currently invest more than £67m to improve support services for those affected and reduce the number of future deaths, including more than £8.8m for support services in north Wales," a spokesperson said.

"Our approach to tackling drug misuse encompasses prevention, treatment, and recovery support, focusing on improving health outcomes and overall reducing harm."

They added the Welsh government is working with health boards, local authorities, Public Health Wales and police to reduce the harm caused by drug and alcohol misuse.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice is available via the BBC Action Line.