Wolverhampton artists beating addiction with painting and drawing

A university student who said she once "belonged to alcohol" has credited art with turning her life around.

Charlotte Webb entered a detox programme, but said: "The big change came when I picked up a pencil."

She is among a group of former addicts from Wolverhampton who are showcasing their work and the power art can have on beating alcohol and drug dependency.

Another artist, Leanne Hayes, said painting helped her to "fully express" her feelings and emotions.

Ms Webb said in 2017 she suffered from anxiety and tremors and "the only way to quiet the noise was to get a bottle of wine into my system, as quickly as possible".

She turned to a Wolverhampton substance misuse team called The Recovery Near You for help.

After going through a detox programme and making changes to her lifestyle, she started with doodling and sketches and then taught herself to use acrylic paints on canvas boards.

She described it as "the start of a new chapter".

Ms Webb is now in the second year of a degree in Illustration and has become course rep for her fellow students and president of the Student Union Art and Design Society.

Leanne Hayes said she had been "homeless, unhappy and self medicating with drugs" and that "it felt like a black hole was swallowing me up".

She said she reached out to Good Shepherd, a local religious charity which helps people who are homeless and in poverty.

It introduced her to boxing and volunteering and then, when she was ready, drawing.

Ms Hayes said she enrolled on an art course and then began studying at the University of Wolverhampton.

She said: "Art has helped me fully express my feelings and emotions.

"It has allowed me to lose myself in my thoughts and imagination and to tell my story through art."

The paintings, which were initially on display at the Light House in Wolverhampton, will move to the Mander Centre Community Hub and go on show there from 10 to 17 October.

Exhibition organiser Kate Penman, from Good Shepherd, said it highlighted "the positive stories of people in recovery".

"For many people who are in recovery or going through different problems in their lives, finding a new interest and an outlet to put their feelings into a picture or painting can be a hugely important part of their journey," she said.

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