The physical dependency upon alcohol brought me to my rock bottom in July 2008. I was caught drink driving for the third time. The alcohol had mentally and physically battered me to my knees. The guilt, shame and self-pity I carried around with me, constantly blocked the reality I had to face. At the time, I was a committee member at the main Sikh Temple in Derby and involved with mainstream politics as well as standing for councillor. My standing in the community made it even harder for me to stop drinking. I feared people would judge me and it would lead to me being ostracised by my own community.

In January 2009 it all came to a head. I remember waking up at my sister’s house where I finally realised the chaos and turmoil my drinking had caused around me. For the first time, I was fed up of my life and wanted to change. My last drink was on January 30th 2009 and I have not had a drink since.

I was introduced to a culturally empathic group called Bac-In, based in Nottingham, in March 2009. Here I was told about the fellowship of AA and the 12-step programme and how to live a happy life without alcohol.

I learned acceptance and that I was powerless over the drink. I had to change my way of thinking and hand my will over to God and trust all my affairs with him. This involved learning to live with myself for who I am. I had to learn to stop people pleasing and to live life on life’s terms. Today I have the tools to cope with life and forget the past and not to project into the future so I can live in the moment.

In my recovery, I have been blessed to do some amazing things, thing I never imagined I’d ever do. In 2010 I co-created the Khanda Poppy, I was given the opportunity to present and host my own show on the Sikh Channel “Alcohol and Beyond”. 2015 saw me go to the United Nations in New York and represent The Sikh Human Rights Group on a 3-day drugs conference. In 2016 the first Recovery meeting in a Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) took place at the Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara Derby and still runs today, offering addicts the opportunity to share their challenges around alcohol and drug addiction with likeminded people from the same cultural and religious backgrounds. 2016 also saw the “Sikh Recovery Network” being launched, offering a cultural and faith catered approach to recovery. This is now a registered charity. Similar recovery meetings have also been facilitated in other major cities up and down the country.

March 2020 saw the Sikh Recovery Network being recognised by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and 10 Downing Street for the work they had been doing helping people in the community with alcohol and drug issues.

I believe these opportunities have only been possible because of my recovery, I am eternally grateful to the fellowship of AA and my peers for helping me on a daily basis do something I can’t do on my own, Stay Sober. Having the ability to take responsibility for my own actions today is something I never thought I could do. It has been challenging to make amends and repair relationships, but it has been worth it and an empowering experience for me and my family.

I realise my self-worth today and grateful to God I can be of service to others. I have enjoyed many gifts in Recovery but not nothing beats being able to be a son to my mother, husband to my wife and above all a father to my 2 children who have and always will be my inspiration.

Recovery is a journey and I will be on this journey till I breathe my last breath.