changegrowlive.org Reviews 51

My CGL worker has given me invaluable emotional support and encouragement through my latest period of increased need.

She is however clearly over worked and unable to conceptualise how she fails me at every meeting. So good at producing the outputs CGL require of her she has "helped me" produce a recovery plan and two reviews that have next to none of myself in them.

They will offer you help in form of helping you make phone calls or to attend meetings with you in a advocates role only to not actually deliver when you take them up on the offer.

Management is absent from the "community".

Moreover this thing of being a "community" is a horrific lie. If there was a recovery community it would be accessable outside office hours and there would be a space to share your opinions and thoughts without professional mediation. There would be the opportunity to lobby for our needs as a group/class when rights are threatened such as during COVID. Such a community obviously can not be allowed to exist. It would be a place of obvious counterculture information and would be like giving prisoners a vote.

Date of experience: July 04, 2025

Well CGL have being there for me Sandra my key worker for over two years Yes yrs. Not weeks not Mt's yrs I am now moving and again Sandra is making this move easy and even doe I do not live in Walthamstow any more I am still getting my meds till every thing is sorted with the new services so ya Thanks SANDRA and CGL for attracting people like Sandra to work for CGL and brilliant doctors like Francesca caring on another level.

Date of experience: July 01, 2025

I would give 0 stars if I could.

Be extremely careful before entering in to this service, do not give your life away to un compassionate, unprofessional, unqualified individuals such as my own Case Worker Sarai (in Norwich), as well as so called prescribing doctors whom have no idea what they are doing, the word is DANGEROUS!! Dangerous extreme negligence which could lead to death (no i’m not being melodramatic). The way they operate is nothing but ‘archaic’ extreme training measures need to be updated in order for it to provide a good service to those whom are suffering from addiction.
My story is too long to share but they ruined my life. Don’t let them treat you like a naughty school child, ask questions, ask for the service you deserve. And don’t let them put you on methadone before you have considered other options such as buprenorphine (they won’t offer this first as it is expensive, but is a much better option) or a guided withdrawal process. These people will govern your life. Proceed with caution, despite how they make you feel YOU ARE A RELEVANT human being who deserves to be treated as such. Don’t forget to love yourself no matter what, I’m sending my genuine heart felt compassion to anyone who is currently experiencing drug related issues. Be careful whom you seek help from.

Date of experience: June 20, 2025

Recieved so much conflicting information from the people who work there. I've been to A&E multiple times on drips due to withdrawal and CGL have told me all they can do is offer behavioural therapy. That's all well and good, but how can I participate in therapy whilst I'm vomiting everywhere and shaking constantly? They don't seem to look at patients individual needs, rather clump everyone in the same box and treat them like stereotypical 'drug addicts'. If you're considering CGL, please find another help service as this place doesn't care. It's all about ticking boxes.

Date of experience: May 28, 2025

The amount of one stars speaks volumes. I would of given no stars if I could. I made a comment about a cgl employee at Birmingham hub and she immediately tried to take it off trust pilot. But it did not work this time as everything I wrote was spot on. HELEN BOLAND should not be working with addicts as she is evil and extremely vindictive. Birmingham cgl get shut of her. She hasn't a clue about people or addicts and knows even less about addictions. Which means we, the addicts suffer unnecessarily bc of incompetent staff.

Date of experience: May 02, 2025

First appointment was straight forward then finally managed to get with someone who let me down twice now been left in the dark again very poor service they never answer the phone or phone back absolutely waste for people who need help with drink or drugs I'd advise you to go somewhere else as these people are useless and not trust worthy second appointment I was waiting for an hour before the kind bloke behind the counter done my risk assessment as my key worker wasn't in work so I had traveled nearly 30 miles to Norwich and to sit in the waiting room for nearly an hour before getting seen by someone who wasn't my key worker just for my risk assessment and my so call key worker let me down twice never felt so let down in my life I really thought cgl were the ones who could support me through my addiction but obviously I was wrong

Date of experience: April 11, 2025

It has taken me over a week, as an addict , writer ,and artist to avoid turning this review into a book, so here is my semi final piece…
After 25 years of failed attempts at recovery, abusive rehabs , nasty and useless so called experts and just general dispirited places who have treated me like a piece of dirt, that being an understatement…, my beautiful soul mate and best friend finally managed to drag me somewhat kicking and softly crying , into Camden CGL , where with a lucky strike I found myself in a lovely building with tea lights and a soft warm atmosphere in Kilburn CGL
I was in a bad place mentally and physically after years of trying to find any kind of hope… , but as me and my man sat tentatively in the waiting area, when Antony opened the door and welcomed us with a warm hello with the most genuine smile I’ve seen in a very long time, my nerves evaporated and I saw a glimmer of light … perhaps, and maybe a chance to actually change my ways…
I , being non binary and very picky asked for a male key worker in Kilburn and luckily that was Antony who has lifted the darkness from the weight of the world not to be soppy !! So rare a find it was , all the staff I have chatted with in Kilburn have been ultra real and actually care
But Antony has been above and beyond what I could have expected, I am actually enjoying the healing process and the rapport , as well as dealing with a sleeping pill addiction of 25 years in a way that hasn’t been introduced to me before. There’s laughter, banter , psychology,the lost art of listening and respect, and a shared passion for the art and writing
I’m trying to avoid this being a soppy mess, but I don’t write reviews…
Antony ( and Paddy who took care of me while he was away) are absolute diamonds, I think you have to put the effort in to get the effort out :)
Has a heart of gold and it shines , but above all I feel supported for the first time in a zillion years, so… and so on
Last part… OMG this is so hard to keep down to 100000 hours of thought
Basically I was in hell and now I’m not in hell, I have been told that my best work is yet to come, and with addiction it’s never your last chance..
but ABOVE all
Antony has HELPED me
And this is a charity , and charity is what this represents to me.. I really do not like writing this but it must be said for others who are suffering
This odd without doubt the best place in the universe ( in the uk ) universe to actually be sure that if you want to be respected and helped you will be, you won’t be left in withdrawals ( I was given a script on the second day After years of being robbed

And seven years of hell, life now is brighter
I’m not going to say it’s great and wonderful but I’ve seen the negative reviews and as someone who is very anti those places, I had to put this down.. so to anyone suffering out there
Give it a try, you won’t find kinder staff and genuine humane treatment…
Ok …. So this is my book end:)

I’m going to write another review after a few months and hopefully it will be remaining positive and I’ll be feeling stabilised….

So thanks to Antony for being a literal inspiration and being humane ( and very very compassionate and competent…

Ok enough praise

Thanks to you all

And I advise anybody to go there if they’re lost in the darkness of addictions

Date of experience: April 26, 2025

I am with CGL Reading and I would say to anyone thinking of using these services at Reading CGL to think twice and see if you can resolve your problem/s with your GP as the services here at Reading CGL are appaling! Even after being in the reception area for 5 minutes awaiting support will want you to relapse as it's a hell pit of negativity and depression!
Steer clear folks as this place CGL Reading is monumentally 'BAD'!!!

Date of experience: April 22, 2025

Falkirk branch is hopeless, i would have scored zero if I could,
I've phone and emailed,,but yet these guys just continue to ignore ,
Always either on a tea break or busy else where, well paid individuals doing absolutely hee haw for the person seeking support,
A complete waste of people's time and more so complete waste of funding ,
My branch is the faliirk branch ,
But by looking at the reviews here it clear to see the problems I have encountered are inherent nationwide and spread across the entire of the UK ,
.now they have personal details on file which they share with partners,
I want it deleted,
I reach out for help,
Not to have my personel information be data farmed

Date of experience: March 10, 2025

Absolutely rotten people couldn't care if you live or die just all these people want is to tick boxes at the end of the day achieve their goals not the clients just what they are told get them goals at any cost pickup there bonus for getting there and never mind everything else

Date of experience: March 17, 2025

Zero empathy, I urgently needed help , all I got was basically "phone someone else" they made my problems so much worse ,now I'm a suicide risk because of the lack of support. Avoid them and find an alternative addiction service. CGL will be the death of me

Date of experience: February 28, 2025

I'm only giving 1 star as it seems I have to to write a review. Cgl are an absolute joke!! If I wrote about everything they have/are putting me through it would be 10 pages long, so let's just say if you need help use a different service provider if at all possible.

Date of experience: February 25, 2025

I don’t know why people are giving bad reviews for Camden CGL my visits are always pleasant very friendly helpful staff and I would just like to say a big THANK YOU to my key worker ANTHONY in all the years I’ve been dealing with the service I’ve never had a key worker like him very helpful and understanding and someone that actually LISTENS and cares about people— ANTHONY you are one in a million THANK YOU for all the help you’ve given me recently I really do appreciate it—— and thank you to ALL the staff at both Kilburn and Camden CGL —-STCEY JOHNSON.

Date of experience: February 19, 2025

My experiences with CGL (Camden branch) has improved in the last 12 months from ineffective to progressive. On the plus side, I find my current key worker to be caring, professional, helpful and reliable. Lucky at last!
I attend some groups and I find them useful and engaging. CGL staff are nice and supportive, so the atmosphere at the venue is warm and friendly.
Two things that I feel could be improved are feedback and follow-up. For example, on my failure to complete a rehab, there was no attempt to seek my feedback. Also, I received no support or risk management. Seems focus was not on their clients, but on their statistics.
The second, lack of follow-up, is my personal observation and opinion in several areas. This impacts on the opportunity for continuous improvement in people (staff or client) and also individual services via a policy of 'lessons learnt '
Overall, I think CGL Camden offers a good service and I would recommend them.

Date of experience: February 13, 2025

I've been with CGL for several years. It seems to be a very badly funded service. Barely getting a monthly appointment, referred to zoom groups and websites rather than practical ways to safely reduce. They don't seem to care or answer concerns. It feels like they just tick a box once they've seen someone alive and call it a day 🙃

Date of experience: December 09, 2024

Wirral Ways to Recovery? (CGL Wirral, Merseyside) Waste of space Unprofessional with a huge turnover of staff.. Lost count the amount of Keyworkers I've had !!!!

Date of experience: January 24, 2025

I am so sick and tired of being treated like a stupid little child by cgl chichester West Sussex I've been a client with them for nearly 20 years and I can honestly say that they have never done anything positive to help me, basically I have been left to my own devices because they just can't be bothered to even pretend to be interested in helping anyone, recently I suffered from a nasty bug and was unable to get to the chemist to collect my meds and of course miss 3 days and the script is stopped...great I phoned on Monday to get help from my keyworker and have heard nothing back they don't care that I am now in the situation where I have had to do drugs to keep me well and of course if they do decide to put me back on a script they expect me to get to the chemist daily which means that I will have to pay 26 quid each day for a taxi due to the fact that I am disabled and I can't afford that I'm at my wits end with their lack of support or experience they don't care about anyone who has an addiction they get paid to ignore the situation and we suffer.

Date of experience: November 15, 2024

I was refused a holiday prescription on the basis that I “could get anything I needed over there”. When I said I wouldn’t know because I’d never been there, I was told “trust me” BY THE DOCTOR.
I USE THIS SERVICE TO HELP ME ABSTAIN FROM ILLICIT SUBSTANCE ABUSE. NOT TO BE ADVISED THAT I SHOULD SEEK OUT THESE SUBSTANCES WHILE ON HOLIDAY.
This place is shameful.
For the sake of vulnerable individuals such as myself, please help yourself and STAY AWAY AT (almost) ALL COSTS

Date of experience: October 08, 2024

I was told to speak to a nurse, I did so and she reported me to social services for things that I never said, thankfully my carer was present at the time and I recorded the entire meeting on my phone (they were obviously not aware of this). I was able to prove the nurse made up fabrications and lies instantly but I will NEVER go near CGL again. Have made an official complaint using their website. There is NO excuse for this. Do NOT use this organisation, there are others out there that won't do this sort of thing and actually care about helping people rather than making themselves feel good.

Date of experience: October 23, 2024