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A man who spent six months living in a tent in Holes Bay, Poole, has managed to not only find somewhere to live and overcome a debilitating drug addiction - but he appeared in a gig to help raise funds for the charity that helped him.

Jamie spent months living in a tent

The concert is in aid of Roots to Routes, an outreach charity that works with homeless people in the Poole area providing soup kitchens and drop-in services to people in need.

Jamie, 33 and originally from Weymouth, found himself homeless after a chain of events which started after a car accident when he was 21.

In trying to cope with his injuries from the crash, he became dependent on over-the-counter painkillers.

Spiraled out of control

His addiction spiraled out of control and at one point he was taking 96 tablets a day.

He says: "I'd get the bus to different chemists so they wouldn't recognise me buying so many. It would have been cheaper to be a heroin addict."

After he was admitted to hospital with a hole in his stomach from over use of painkillers, he moved onto abusing illicit substances.

Despite managing to hide his addiction for a time, his relationship with his partner failed, and his behaviour became erratic - and he began to miss pre-arranged appointments to see his daughter.

Jamie busking

Although depressed, he eventually was able to see that he had to take action. He says: "I couldn't hold down a job, I was letting down my daughter, and I knew I had to get away. I sort of had a nervous breakdown."

Manchester

Someone he knew suggested he go with him to Manchester, where Jamie could access help more quickly than he could in Dorset.

Jamie says: "At the time, there was an eight month waiting list to get help in Dorset, but in Manchester I got it more quickly.

"Drug workers there found me sleeping in a disused toilet, and I didn't like Manchester, but I needed to be there to start to get help with my dependency."

Then in January 2008 he got his treatment transferred back to Dorset, but with nowhere to stay, Jamie found himself in a tent in Holes Bay.

Roots to Routes

It was through going to a soup kitchen in Poole, run by Roots to Routes, that led to him finding a place to live, after meeting the charity's Outreach Worker, Rob Fish.

Jamie now lives in Poole

Having proved he was determined to beat his addictions, in July 2008, with Rob's help, Jamie moved into supported housing in Parkstone.

Jamie also has regular voluntary drug tests, which have all been clean.

He hasn't yet seen his daughter, but that's what he's aiming for:

He says: "My main aim is to get a good amount of stability, to take financial responsibility for her. There's not a day goes by when I don't think of her. Addiction is a disease, but I've got clarity now."

Jamie is now volunteering for a furniture reclaim charity, which he hopes will led him back into full time work, when he's ready.

Busking

Jamie would fund his drug habit by busking ("I never burgled because I was scared of going to prison"), and it's this musical talent that led him to playing at the charity gig, headlined by Dorset band Oposium.

Jamie performing at the gig

Before the gig, Jamie said: "I can't wait. I jumped at the chance. Addiction is really hard to crawl out of, and it affects the whole family and not just the addict, so for them to see me playing is a good sign of my progress."

"It's also a chance to say a huge thank you to all the people who have helped me with my recovery."

Rob says: "It can be quite a frustrating job, but it's nice to be in this sort of situation where we can see how the work we do has helped someone, rather than us sitting scratching our heads thinking 'what do we do?'.

"Jamie is a great guy, and this is about moving him on."

The next Routes To Roots concert will be on January 3 2009 at St Mary's Longfleet, Poole