Andy Kalli, now 64, spent 24 years addicted to crack cocaine, losing contact with his family and selling his possessions to fund his habit. Three years ago, at 61, he started working for a rehab centre. Today, he says, 'I save lives. I make a difference.' A cork board full of thank you cards in his office confirms this.
Kalli works as service manager at the Perry Clayman Project in Luton, Bedfordshire. He advises clients not to apologise, explaining: 'Don't say sorry. Your families have heard it a thousand times. It's by making change that you'll be making amends.'
Kalli grew up in north London and Bognor. His Greek-Cypriot parents owned a cafe and restaurants. As a young child, he was sexually abused by a family friend, an experience that 'shaped me for relationships going forward'. At 16, he trained as a chef and worked at the Savoy hotel. He married at 18 and had three children by 23, running a successful restaurant business with his father.
At 29, after losing £50,000 on a failed nightclub venture, a friend offered him cocaine. 'Once I took that line, in my brain, I was 10ft tall,' he recalls. He soon lost £100,000 in a week. For years, he hid a double life, earning money by day and using crack by night. In 2013, his daughter Helen was diagnosed with a brain tumour. During her final year, he missed hospital appointments due to his addiction and even took his grandson to a drug deal. After Helen died in 2014, Kalli says, 'I wanted to die myself.' He walked into a hospital and asked for help, spending two weeks on suicide watch.
Now clean for over a decade, Kalli completed a degree in psychology with substance misuse studies, graduating with a first at 61. He is back in touch with his children and grandchildren. 'I've got the power now. I think I can help save lives,' he says. 'I could be 24 or 44. I've got so much energy to give.'
