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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Paula Cocozza

A new start after 60: I was a successful businessman – and a crack addict. Now I save other users’ lives

Andy Kalli smiling
‘I had to focus on my triggers. I had to learn to start again’ … Andy Kalli. Photograph: Jill Mead/The Guardian

For 24 years, Andy Kalli was addicted to crack cocaine. He lost contact with his family and sold his possessions – even his dad’s sovereign ring – to fund his addiction. But three years ago, at 61, he started working for a rehab centre. Now, he says, “I save lives. I make a difference.” The cork board full of thank you cards in his office agrees.

Kalli works as service manager at the Perry Clayman Project in Luton, Bedfordshire, and likes to advise clients not to apologise. “Because how many times have I apologised?” he says. “Don’t say sorry. Your families have heard it a thousand times. It’s by making change that “you’ll be making amends,” he says.

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