REAL LIFE: The best day of Sam's life

I can't thank these guys enough for giving me a second chance, says 28-year-old Sam. "I have to learn the hard way."

Sam has finally moved into his own flat after two years at the YMCA in Norwich. "I'm a better person for my experiences, but I've put my family through some terrible times."

Sam's dad left when he was 11, and, as the eldest of four, he took on a lot of responsibility for the family, going to work at 14 for a local butcher. Mum took out some of her depression and anger on him too. "It was hard to get on."

Sam left home himself at 16, and developed a lucrative sideline as a drug dealer, selling mostly cannabis, ecstasy and speed. He thought he was clever, but the police were on to him, raiding his 18th birthday party and arresting him. "It was a real shock; I needed that. I needed to grow up," he said. Sam felt he was fortunate to get away with a fine, and resolved to change.

He got a job in a factory and met his wife, Tanya. "We married in Kenya. Her parents paid for it all. It was a brilliant experience, topped by the birth of our son nine months later!"

But married life was tough for the young couple in their small flat, and the increasing rows left Sam depressed and frustrated: "It was like an emotional cancer. I would go out and get wrecked, just to get away from it all."

He was prescribed Prozac by his doctor but Sam was used to levels of self-medication. His drinking and use of cannabis increased, and eventually Tanya's family stepped in to protect their daughter and grandson. Sam was back at his mum's, unable to see his family, feeling as if he'd failed everything.

"I can't do in-between," Sam admits. "I can't chill and unwind with a beer. It's all or nothing with me. So I turned to what I always did: drink, drugs … and then a friend introduced me to cocaine. Coke overtook me; all I could see was the next line."

Sam was soon spending £250 a day on drugs, funded initially by credit cards. His moods became violent but his addiction drove him on. He turned once more to dealing, this time in cocaine and with a serious habit himself. "That always leads to worse trouble," says Sam. "Of course, I used most of what I was supposed to sell, so I ended up owing money to some really dangerous people."

Sam was forced to flee his home town and ended up sleeping rough. He even hitched to Holland where he spent time with a 'gentleman of the road,' an older man who taught him how to survive out of a bag. Strangely enough, it was this quest for survival on the streets that forced him to kick his drug habit. "I was completely focussed on getting by; no space in my head for anything else."

Eventually, Sam arrived at the doors of the YMCA in Norwich and signed up for a room. Like many other residents, he remembers the date well. "It was the best day of my life. I had nothing, nothing at all. They gave me toiletries, got me a doctor, helped me fill in forms; I started to get normal life back."

But with the new stability of a roof over his head, the old demons returned, and Sam started to drink heavily again and use drugs. His YMCA support worker was quick to challenge his behaviour and he stopped for a while, but he kept slipping back. "They really tried to help, and kept supporting me. Eventually I had to admit that I needed proper help."

YMCA got Sam the counselling he needed to deal with his psychological and physical addictions to drugs and alcohol, and after two years away, he is now rebuilding his relationship with his wife and family. Recently, he moved into his own flat, and they are taking things slowly. He doesn't touch drugs, and can manage to go out and have a couple of pints. The huge grin on Sam's face never fades as he describes what he owes the YMCA.

"There's no way I'm going to throw all this away. The counselling has really helped; I'm not nearly so vulnerable. I know what I want out of life, thanks to the YMCA. They have been my rock."

“I don't have words to express what they've done for me.”