Jeremy Palmer’s story is a powerful testament to resilience and change. Hailing from Bath, Jeremy has transformed his life from struggling with addiction to now leading the very rehab facility where he once sought help. At 48, he serves as the Supported Housing Team Leader at Burlington House, a dry house run by the charity Developing Health and Independence.
Raised in a large family in Whiteway, Jeremy’s early years were marked by substance misuse. By age nine, he had started sniffing petrol, followed by cannabis use at ten. At thirteen, a deceptive introduction to heroin set him on a dangerous path. Reflecting on his youth, Jeremy shares, “Back then, I was just known as a naughty child. Nowadays, you would be given an EHC plan and diagnosed with ADHD.”
His teenage years were turbulent, punctuated by multiple school changes and foster care placements. At fifteen, crack cocaine entered his life, accelerating a downward spiral. “There was no going back… it was all 100 mph,” Jeremy admits. His choices led to repeated incarceration starting at age seventeen, including time for theft.
READ MORE: Defiant Bridgwater Locals Unite Against Racism
READ MORE: Four-Month Roadworks Begin on A39 Near Clarks Village Shopping Centre
Rather than rehabilitate, prison environments reinforced criminal behavior. “It was just like a college for criminals,” he says. “I came out with contacts and techniques for crime.” Despite fleeting intentions to change after release, old habits prevailed.
A pivotal moment arrived in 2012 after Jeremy’s brother overdosed on misused medication that Jeremy had supplied. The event forced a stark reckoning. “That was the pinnacle moment… I thought, ‘I can’t do this, I have to change.’”
Jeremy’s recovery journey was challenging. Early in detox, exposure to illicit activity at the rehab necessitated a move to a safer environment. On June 15, 2012, Jeremy detoxed from Subutex and has been sober since. From that day forward, he has abstained from all drugs and alcohol.
Joining Narcotics Anonymous helped Jeremy rebuild his life and confront his past mistakes. He made amends with his mother, admitting to acts he once denied, including burgling her home during active addiction. Although she has since passed, her memory inspires his ongoing sobriety.
Jeremy candidly acknowledges that addiction is a lifelong struggle. “I could go to the shop now and buy a bottle of vodka. I choose not to.” Embracing sobriety with clear boundaries, he lives by NA’s mantra: “One’s too many, and a thousand’s not enough.”
His journey from detox patient to rehab leader exemplifies the power of recovery. Through training and apprenticeship, Jeremy became a support worker and now manages three support houses. He has also embraced family life, becoming a husband and father, secured his driver’s license, written a memoir, and raised funds through charity skydiving adventures.
Remarkably, his current office is the very room where he detoxed over a decade ago—symbolizing a full circle from hardship to hope and leadership.