We ask students from Devon's rehabilitation centre Gilead Foundations to tell us their stories. This time it's the turn of IRVIN MIKES.

Bolton-born Irvin Mikes admits that he wasted 20 years of his life trying to find destiny and purpose. After his parents divorced when he was 15, Irvin drifted into drugs and a hippy lifestyle extolling the virtues of rebellion and anarchism. "I felt totally insecure, x handle responsibility and tried to find contentment through all sorts of drugs," said Irvin. "I was a speed freak for 10 years, used amphetamines and by the age of 25 I was a registered heroin addict."

Irvin never held down a legitimate job, funding his drug habit by dealing in drugs. Encouraged by his Christian brother to follow the "right way" rather than the "wrong way" Irvin frequently prayed, seeking God's strength to go straight. "I was crying out to God for help, but I could never follow the Christian lifestyle," he said. Having heard about the work of Gilead Foundations, Irvin travelled to Devon to stay with his mother, determined to overcome his addiction to drugs. "I managed to detox myself and was accepted as a student at Gilead's West Buckland induction centre in Somerset," said Irvin. "Gilead provided me with the environment to get my life back together. I came to a place of absolute repentance with God and really benefited from the discipleship offered by Gilead.

"I found the reality, power and grace of God through coming to Gilead Foundations and I have also learnt about personal responsibility and the importance of diligence and discipline in life." Irvin works in the Gilead Foundations dairy every day, helping to process and pack organic milk from the farm. "The work experience I have gained has been so important," he said. Irvin has also been joined at Risdon Farm by his daughter 11-year-old Rhianna, whose mother is Irvin's ex-girlfriend.

"I never wanted children and thought it was God's punishment when we had a baby," said Irvin. "But I can now see that she is a tremendous gift from God and I am taking full parental responsibility for her."