Kelly Furlonger
Going through the early stages of recovery for drug and alcohol abuse, Kelly Furlonger needed something to focus on. She turned to learning and began by studying an Openings course on Understanding Health with the Open University.
Kelly followed this with an introductory course on Social Sciences and a course on Human Nutrition, she then went on to enrol on an Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Management course. However, during this course, Kelly experienced severe mental health problems which led to her being diagnosed as bipolar.
“As I was going through this tough period, I thought about giving up the course,” said Kelly. “After taking some time out and talking to my tutor, I decided that stopping would do me more harm than good. Even if it was just 30 minutes of study a day, it made me feel like I had achieved something in my day.”
Despite the diagnosis, and her severe anxiety that prevents Kelly from attending tutorials, she has consistently been in the top three highest-scoring students in her group.
“My life is very different now than before I started studying,” Kelly admits. “Not only has it given me the drive and focus to stay clean and sober, but it has also given me the opportunity to think about my future.’’
“Every time I’ve completed a course, it’s given me a little more confidence and self-belief to take the next course. I enjoy learning about a lot of things as I feel it gives me a better understanding of myself.”