Breaking the chain of addiction: Jordan’s story
Jordan started his recovery journey with an addiction assessment with a Priory specialist - you can too.
Addiction never affects just one person – its ripple effects can be felt across families and generations. When Jordan’s dad died of alcoholism when he was just 13, it set him on a painful path – but with treatment and recovery, he’s found a way to break that chain.
Jordan grew up in a family where alcohol was always present. His dad was the life and soul of the party, someone who was always at the centre of celebrations and surrounded by people who loved his energy. But behind the laughter and social gatherings, his drinking often pulled him away from the family.
As a child, Jordan spent most of his time with his mum, Jackie, while his dad isolated himself upstairs, drinking and taking substances. He longed for his dad’s attention, but it was rarely there. When Jordan was just 13, his world changed forever. Jackie came home from work one day and went upstairs to find her husband had passed away from alcoholism.
The shock left deep scars. Jackie remembers her son becoming angry and withdrawn. Jordan struggled at school, sank into depression and even attempted to take his own life. Looking back, he sees that moment as the start of a struggle that would shape the years to come.
As a teenager, Jordan found escape in parties, alcohol and, later, drugs. Drinking gave him a sense of belonging he had been missing, but it quickly escalated. Jackie recalls nights where she feared for her son’s life, dragging him in from the street when drugs had left him unconscious. By his 20s, cocaine had taken hold. What started as a high quickly became a daily obsession.
I completely fell off the rails.
He spent all his money on drugs, lied to Jackie to borrow more, and let her home become a place where his friends used substances. At one point, a close friend even stole Jackie’s jewellery to fund drugs – something that still devastates Jordan when he looks back. Jackie often questions whether she was too soft, but in truth, her son’s addiction had spiralled beyond her control.
The similarities between Jordan and his father were stark. Both struggled with substances and withdrew from family life, leaving their loved ones to carry the weight of their illness. Jordan admits he put his mum under immense pressure.
For years, Jordan felt as though he was at ‘rock bottom’. He describes lying in bed, thinking that the only way out was to end his life. He was exhausted by broken promises to himself, knowing he couldn’t stop without help. Facing the loss of his job, relationship and family, he finally reached out to a psychiatrist – the first step in turning his life around.
Admitting himself into Priory, Jordan began treatment for his cocaine addiction. To his surprise, he found hope there. “I actually didn’t want to leave,” he says. The structure of therapy, daily routines, and the chance to reflect through writing gave him a sense of possibility he hadn’t felt in years.
One of the most powerful moments was reading a letter from Jackie, where she laid bare how his addiction had pushed her to breaking point. It was painful but became a turning point. “It keeps me from picking up a drink again,” Jordan says.
Through therapy and aftercare, Jordan also began to see the links between his own struggles and his father’s. Writing his goodbye letter to addiction, he realised they had both battled the same illness – but unlike his dad, he had the chance to break free.
I wasn’t going to let it do the same to me. I knew I needed to break that chain.
Now, in recovery, Jordan is over 297 days clean and sober. He describes his life as better than he ever imagined. He and Jackie’s relationship has been rebuilt. She says she treasures phone calls that are no longer about money but about everyday life.
Jordan knows how important it is to pass on what he has learned. When he thinks about having a family one day, he’s determined that his children won’t have to grow up as he did. “One day when I have kids, I don’t want them to see what I saw in my dad. It’s important to give them the best chance they can have – not to pass that chain of addiction onto someone else.”
“My outlook now and the potential of my life, is beyond my wildest dreams,” he says. Jackie, proud and relieved, puts it simply: “It’s lovely having my son back.”
For Jordan, recovery isn’t just about saving his own life – it’s about changing the story for generations to come. By breaking the chain, he’s building the future his dad never had chance to see. At Priory, we believe every family deserves that chance.