Ronny got his life back: “It was liberating to get an overview of my debts”

Police officer Ronny Rene Raveen seemed to have it all upon returning home from military service abroad. But his life took a sudden turn. Deprived of the adrenaline that had driven him during his service, he developed a severe drug addiction, ultimately leading to the loss of his position in the police force.

Ronny stopped paying his bills, and during the 2007-2008 financial crisis, all his assets were forcibly sold at significant losses.

How did he manage to pull himself out of such profound difficulty when everything appeared so bleak? Watch his interview to find out:

How did you get into debt? 

Ronny says: “I’d worked as a police officer at home in Norway but wanted to see the world. First I did a long tour with the Norwegian Armed Forces as an infantry commander in Lebanon, and then a brief period as a special police officer in Kosovo. When I returned home, life was different. I wasn’t in a good place; I started partying and using cocaine, which led to drug dependency. I lost control, lost my job as a police officer, and the debts just piled up.”

How did you feel about your debts at the time? 

Ronny said: “Any assets I had went to compulsory sale, so I lost a lot of money as a result. This was during the ­financial crisis of 2007-2008. I’d taken out a lot of loans and had maxed out several credit cards. But everything revolved around partying. I ended up with a debt of almost six million Norwegian kroner. I no longer cared about paying the bills. My situation felt hopeless, and I saw no way out.”

I ended up with a debt of almost six million Norwegian kroner. I no longer cared about paying the bills. My situation felt hopeless, and I saw no way out. Looking back, I never should have hesitated contacting Intrum.

How would you describe your contact with Intrum?

"It was great to be treated in a friendly way in a difficult situation. There were no judgements, just help. The last contact I had with Intrum was very emotional. When I got the call from Intrum, I knew I’d made it,” says Ronny. 

What advice would you give to others in the same situation? 

Ronny says: “Dealing with this kind of problem is basically impossible. People talk about carrying around little bags of bills. I think I can safely say that I carried around two large bin bags of bills. It’s extremely di cult to sort stuff like this out entirely on your own. But after a while I managed to reduce my debts by almost half, and because of that I was able to take out a loan together with my wonderful partner to lay the foundations for a new life.”