Former professional boxer Nick Midgley is a recovered heroin addict, now he’s revolutionising the industry

A former addict, who started using heroin at 13, says he has the tools to revolutionise the rehab industry after his own experience getting clean.

When Nick Midgley first took heroin he was just 13-years-old.

When he left school he was addicted.

After two decades of hardship and relapses, Nick is clean and has opened a drug and alcohol rehab centre in Pottsville Northern NSW.

The centre is guided by a principle influenced by his experience in rehabs in Australia - you can’t take drugs to get off drugs.

His program is focused on learning from his own recovery.

“When I first tried to get clean they put me on drug replacement programs and I took opioid blockers and I had problems with other drugs after,” he said.

“It wasn’t so much the substance it was the inability to process emotions to cope with day to day stuff.

“If you medicate them too much it puts a Band-Aid over the healing process.”

Nick has experienced rehab in more ways than one.

There were times when he thought “this isn’t right” while at rehab, and times he felt he had a better idea about what would help.

That’s the reason he has opened Hope in Health, which resembles more of a beach resort than a rehab centre.

More like a beach resort

The clinic has refurbished rooms, an open kitchen and dining area, magnesium pool, yoga and breathwork studio plus 18 staff when patients are in for the university recommended 30-day program.

Hope in Health’s holiday house look is designed to make drug and alcohol addicts feel comfortable

Nick says it is all part of empowering drug and alcohol affected people to take control of their lives, not be told what to do to change.

“When you look at drug and alcohol recovery it is a fundamentally flawed system, when you say you’ve got to take a drug to get off a drug, that rings alarm bells,” he said.

“I know this system is the game changer; I have no doubt about it.”

Nick says every recovery has to be one that suits each individual and boxing was the thing that helped him onto his path of recovery.

Boxing a ‘safe place’

He was 10 when he was first introduced to boxing which he says helped him get a disciplined mindset and a good work ethic.

“It gave me a safe place to change my social groups. The people in the gym were eating well, not drinking or smoking, they did things socially without alcohol and drugs,” he said.

“My own issue was the discipline in between, I’d knock myself off in between (with drugs) but boxing was a good distraction for me.”

Nick is a former boxer but had a relapse while drafting plans for his new rehab centre

Nick had 14 amateur and nine professional fights before he started training youngsters out the back of his garage in Cabarita and Tweed Heads.

It gave him purpose, strength and a feeling he was contributing to society.

However, when Nick thought of the idea for Hope in Health he wasn’t in a good place after having had a relapse while drafting plans for the business.

His business partner worked with him for almost four years to get the project underway.

Nick finally opened his rehab at the end of last year with the knowledge he is totally clean and the thought of taking drugs further from his mind than ever before.

“I found that inner peace which I was using drugs for,” he said.

“To see the moment where we help people and you see the look on their face when they lighten up and see they are worth something, that warms my heart.”

If you, or someone you know, is struggling, please reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14.

New South Wales residents can also phone Family Drug Support on 1300 368 186.