Stuart's Cuan Mhuires 24 Hour cycle towards recovery

It seemed that a life of Chaos and Addiction was to be my destiny from an early age. The rebellious teenager that I was developed into a young man with the hopes and dreams to start a career and begin a young family. As is the nature of addiction, it was to take everything that I held dear, my marriage, my children, my house and very nearly my life. I didn’t know then, but was to discover that I had been using alcohol and other chemicals as anaesthetics to the deep pain of low self-worth and blindness to see the good human being that I was born to be. The further I delved into this world of addiction and isolation I was to hate what I had become, the loneliness that only the addict can know where even your loved ones can do nothing to stop the disintegration play out before them in slow caption car crash mode. Piece by piece, my life was to fade away until I simply became a heartbeat maintaining an addiction to the substances I had thought were my salvation.

Arriving at the door of Cuan Mhuire, Athy I was physically broken, mentally exhausted and spiritually bankrupt. Full of fear, I was welcomed by the unit man who told me that everything was going to be OK. I was introduced to men from all backgrounds coming to Cuan Mhuire as their addictions had taken almost everything from them as it did me. Alongside this group of men we began to heal physically with sleep and good food.

As the weeks progressed we journeyed through the programme each week encountering a different aspect of recovery. Removing the blinkers of awareness to become aware of the truth that we are all born good and pure and that our inner being is untainted regardless of the damage caused by a life of addiction. I was to find a spiritual aspect to my life that I had never known and a goodness within me that I discovered through the example of the Cuan Mhuire programme. Out of this goodness I decided to remain in Cuan Mhuire to work as a volunteer and then progressed to working full time in Cuan Mhuire Athy Drug Rehabilitation unit.

Working in Cuan Mhuire entails commitment and dependability borne out of my goodness and giftedness. These are qualities I could only have found on my Cuan Mhuire journey.

Cuan Mhuire is a charitable drug, alcohol and gambling rehabilitation organisation in Ireland. Cuan Mhuire offers a comprehensive, structured, abstinence based, residential programme to persons suffering from alcohol, other chemical dependencies and gambling. Cuan Mhuire was founded by Sr. Consilio Fitzgerald a member of the Sisters of Mercy in 1966. Cuan Mhuire has its own programme, developed by Sr. Consilio and her Staff for almost 60 years. Cuan Mhuire has rehabilitation centres and other facilities all over Ireland both North and South dealing with approximately 2500 people each year.

All money raised from my idonate fundraiser will go to help build a new updated drug building.

This 24 hour endurance cycle is taking place on

Saturday 21st June 2025 at 12:00pm in Mondello Park, Naas, Co.Kildare.

All donations will go to Cuan Mhuire Athy, A new updated drug unit will directly benefit all of Cuan Mhuires service users.

Your donation is greatly appreciated. Please support us on our journey towards recovery, and battle against addiction!