In 2026, Auckland man Shelwin Khan is thriving as a peer support worker and lived experience advisor. But it wasn't always like this.

Shelwin started drinking at 13. By his mid-20s he was, by his own admission, 'unemployable', had three stints in rehab he never completed, and wanted to end his life. He wanted to join the '27 Club' - a pop culture reference to a string of celebrities who died tragically at that age.

Instead, he got sober at 27. He arrived early to a 12-step meeting by mistake and met a man with 28 years sobriety - longer than Shelwin had been alive. That changed everything.

Seven years sober now, Shelwin has learned sobriety is an ongoing journey of personal growth. When he got a cancer diagnosis this year, his reaction showed him how different his thinking is: he really didn't want to die.

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