Through BDP’s Creative Communities programme he has been learning how to play the drums, write and perform poetry and take part in theatre and hip-hop groups – a life far removed from what he was living in his early 20s.
“Crack cocaine brought me to my knees,” he said.
“I kept that a secret for around three years until I ran out of excuses. It was like hell,” he said.
When he reached out, BDP helped him access a treatment centre, but he explained his journey was not “straightforward”.
“It took many attempts, but at each relapse BDP was always there,” Decordova said.
Now with support from BDP and a focus on performing he said he understands who he is again.
“The ability to express yourself though art is paramount to many addicts because they’ve spent to so many years suppressing themselves,” he said.
“It holds up a beacon of light that says, ‘anything is possible’.”