Cape Town - A Cape Town man determined to turn his man determined to turn his life around after having spent more than half of it battling drug and alcohol abuse is taking another leap forward by participating in the Two Oceans Marathon on April 15.
Denver van der Bergh, 46, struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for 25 years. He is celebrating three years of sobriety.
Now working as a restaurant floor manager at the Silo Hotel, V&A Waterfront, he is in his final year of a business degree at the Tsiba Business School in Woodstock.
He has been awarded an academic merit certificate by Tsiba in recognition of “excellent achievement during the first semester” and was the top student for semester two last year.
His road to recovery was through academia and remaining physically fit with his dreams set on one day taking part in the Comrades Marathon.
Inching closer to the Comrades, he will take part in the 56km Ultra Two Oceans Marathon scheduled for April 15.
“I always felt that something was missing in my life. I felt a deep unhappiness. It was almost as if I knew that I was not where I was supposed to be.
“I was proud and never believed that I had a problem and that I needed help. I believed that I could stop whenever I wanted. But then I tried and I couldn't. I was getting older and started to feel that I had wasted my life and had nothing to show for it,” he said. He opened up about having survived an attempt to take his own life when things took a turn for the worse.
Assisting in his journey to recovery was the Ramot Treatment Centre for Addiction in Parow, where he spent five weeks.
Ramot manager Johannes Janse van Rensburg said Van der Bergh’s life had hit rock bottom before he found a new beginning at the centre.
“At Ramot, Denver learnt valuable tools and skills during his five-week stay, but his progress didn’t end there. He continued to attend Ramot’s virtual aftercare meetings and his commitment to the programme has helped him achieve his goals.
“Denver is not only an inspiration to other patients at Ramot, but also to anyone who wants to turn their life around and start afresh.”