Welcome, Scott Woolley!
My name is Scott Woolley, I am a former substance misuse professional and my career in drug treatment started in 2007. I wanted to work with people from a young age as I had a passion for helping others, so I became a project volunteer for We Are With You in Liverpool (formerly Lighthouse Project and Addaction). Here, I enrolled on multiple courses, co-facilitated stimulant groups, worked in the syringe exchange, and conducted comprehensive assessments with service users. Shortly after becoming a project volunteer, I started working for ARCH Initiatives in Wirral, where I worked a series of roles including substance misuse worker, drug testing technician and service user mentor. I have vast amounts of client contact experience from my time working for drug and alcohol charities across Merseyside. More recently, over the past 7 years, I have worked on the corporate side of drug treatment, focusing on well-being in the workplace. Outside of work, I have a love for sober living, adventure, and my family.
I discovered Intuitive Thinking Skills in 2009 when I sat the Intuitive Recovery course as a professional. I was working for ARCH Initiatives at the time, and it was recommended I studied the course for career development. Peter Bentley delivered the course (14 years ago!) and I still have the course book…somewhere! As we dived into the concept of ambivalence and ‘I vs IT’, I became passionate about the course content and remember promoting IR to friends, family and even colleagues at Lighthouse Project who I was working for at the time. During this period of my life, I was 21 and drinking every weekend. Whilst this was widely accepted by society, something felt a little off. Knowing Intuitive Recovery and the experience of working in drug treatment made me very aware of the cycle I was in.
As I hit my mid-twenties and discovered fitness, I made a shift away from alcohol towards a healthier and happier lifestyle. People challenged me on why I wasn’t drinking as often anymore, informing me I wasn’t an ‘alcoholic’ or an ‘addict’, so why did I need to stop? I wanted to become alcohol-free because I hated hangovers, I was not fulfilling my potential, and something didn’t feel right binge drinking every weekend whilst working in drug treatment and having a duty of care for the people who had problems with drugs and alcohol.
Having the awareness of Intuitive Recovery and the skill of transposing was a great asset in my twenties. In 2015 it was time for a career break, so I resigned from my role and moved to Sydney, Australia to travel and experience living overseas. When I arrived in Australia, I took on a 1 Year No Alcohol Challenge to see if abstinence was for me. I had the best year of my life and committed to a second year of abstinence. After completing 2 years alcohol free I committed to lifelong abstinence. I am now 8 years alcohol-free, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
In my previous role, I delivered drug and alcohol training to the workplace and facilitated return-to-work courses with employees on a 1:1 basis to support reintegration into work, following a previously confirmed positive drug or alcohol test. After being in this role for over 3 years I wanted a new challenge. I am now employed as a Gambling Ambassador Lead for Intuitive Thinking Skills, and I am new to the business. I shadowed my first Intuitive Recovery course last week to re-familiarise myself with the course content and have been studying the content for the Information, Advice and Guidance Programme. I am excited to have the opportunity to make a positive impact and I look forward to my future with Intuitive Thinking Skills.
