'I was a homeless heroin addict so I know anyone can turn their life around with the right support'

The system is set up to fail young people at risk. We need real reform. And I know what needs to change, writes recovery advocate Sean Kinsella

'I didn’t choose to be homeless at 14. I didn’t choose the violence, addiction, or instability that filled my childhood home in Ballymun.' 

I didn’t choose to be homeless at 14. I didn’t choose the violence, addiction, or instability that filled my childhood home in Ballymun. 

But when the system stepped in, it didn’t save me. It moved me. From one short-term placement to another. From emergency hostels to secure care units. From fear into deeper fear.

One of those placements was meant to be a place of rehabilitation. Instead, it was full of bullying, trauma, and isolation. I developed anxiety so severe I could barely breathe. I wasn’t seen. I wasn’t heard. I was a file. A risk to be managed. Vulnerability wasn’t welcome, so I shut down emotionally to survive.

And then came the spiral: addiction, prison, self-hatred. I injected heroin in hospital bathrooms, alleyways, and squats. I nearly lost my left arm to an infection that could have killed me. The worst part? I didn’t care.

What saved me wasn’t a judge or a policy or a placement. It was recovery, community-led, relationship-based, and brutally honest. I met people who saw beyond the labels. People who said: “You matter.” And for the first time in years, I started to believe it.

Sean Kinsella: 'What saved me wasn’t a judge or a policy or a placement. It was recovery, community-led, relationship-based, and brutally honest.'

That’s the power of connection. That’s the power of seeing someone as a human, not a statistic. I found purpose.

Today, I’m a father. A graduate. A recovery advocate. And the founder of Sean Kinsella — Lived experience, a lived experience-led coaching and wellbeing organisation working in prisons, schools, and boardrooms across Ireland. 

I speak to young people at risk. I walk beside those leaving prison. I work with teams facing burnout. And I help people remember what they’re capable of.

Because here’s what I know: transformation is possible — for anyone, anywhere.

But we can’t keep relying on individuals to survive systems built to fail them. We need change. Not just small fixes. Not just promises. Root-and-branch reform.

What Needs to Change?

• Early intervention: Catch the pain before it becomes crime. Invest in community mental health, trauma-informed education, and peer-led supports;
• Aftercare that works: Leaving care shouldn’t mean sleeping in a doorway. We need stable housing, mentorship, and access to addiction and mental health supports;
• Lived experience leadership: Those who have lived it, like me, must be at the policy table. We know what works. We know what hurts;
• Addiction reform: Addiction is a public health issue. Nobody heals in handcuffs. Nobody gets clean in a cell.

What I’m doing about it

I’ve turned my pain into purpose. I now deliver:

• Motivational talks: Honest, powerful sessions grounded in lived experience. I share the journey from chaos to clarity to show what’s possible;
• Resilience and recovery workshops: Helping people bounce back from burnout, addiction, or rock bottom with tools that actually work;
• Wellbeing and leadership coaching: Supporting individuals and teams to rebuild trust, emotional strength, and purpose;
• Corporate and community programmes: Tailored support for workplaces, schools, youth services, and re-entry teams.

And in 2026, we plan to take it further.

We are planning to pilot the Thrive Intervention Programme in Deis schools — bringing early intervention and emotional wellbeing tools to young people before crisis takes hold. 

At the same time, I’ll be launching the 'I Am Not Going Back' programme with the Irish Prison Service, providing holistic, lived-experience-led support to people transitioning out of custody. It’s designed to break the cycle of reoffending, rebuild identity, and offer real hope for reintegration.

Because nobody changes alone. And nobody should have to.

A final word 

I’m not asking for sympathy. I’m demanding change. Because behind every chaotic young person is a child who was failed.

And behind every person in recovery is proof people can come back from the edge.

What they need is someone to walk beside them, not in judgement, but in belief.

Ireland can be that place. But only if we’re brave enough to rebuild the system with truth, time, and trust.

Let’s stop managing risk, and start nurturing resilience. Let’s give them the chance.

• Sean Kinsella is a lived experience professional, wellness coach, and founder of Sean Kinsella – Lived experience. He delivers motivational talks and recovery-focused programmes in prisons, schools, workplaces, and communities across Ireland. For more, visit seankinsella.org