Max and Arlene ran up around £45,000 of debt between them. Max's business failed and Arlene found herself turning to storecards and credit cards to pay their household bills andbuy their children's school uniforms. They had a house that they didn't want to lose, and were anxious to avoid bankruptcy. For years they struggled on, borrowing from one creditor to pay another and burying their heads in the sand.

Finally they came to DMS for help. We suggested that they consider an IVA, and they decided that it was a good idea. With our help their IVA was accepted. They ended up paying only £295 per month - an easily affordable figure for them - and after 60 payments the rest of their debt was written off. And the best part about it was that their house was not repossessed. 'It was the best decision we have ever made', said Arlene, 'the IVA can give instant peace of mind. It worked for us'.

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Ben graduated from college with almost £10,000 of debt. As his first job was not very well paid, he found that he was forced to turn to his credit cards again and again just to make ends meet. The expense of living in London only made things worse. His debt snowballed until it rose above the £25,000 mark.

Ben contacted DMS for advice. We explained what his options were, and in the end he decided to go bankrupt. He didn't own a house or a car that would be at risk, and his job wouldn't be affected. Moreover, as he lived in London he felt confident that the stigma wouldn't affect him.

On the day he was declared bankrupt Ben felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders. 'Going bankrupt was a difficult step', he says, 'as it involved admitting failure. Once I did it, however, it was a real relief'.

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John had worked hard all his life to provide for his children. He and his wife were also proud owners of a family home. When his wife was diagnosed with a serious illness, however, and had to leave her job, they found themselves under financial strain. Before long John had starting using credit cards. As time went on things didn't get any easier. At the end of each month he found himself 'robbing Peter to pay Paul', which made the situation worse. He tried consolidating his debts with big bank loans, but each time he was forced to use his credit cards again. He started to suffer from depression and anxiety.

Finally, with some support from his brother, he plucked up the courage to contact DMS. We talked through his options and he decided to propose a Lump Sum Settlement using money borrowed from his brother and parents. His proposal was accepted and he was able to write off around 70% of his total debt. 'It was extraordinary', says John, 'going from being in serious debt one minute to debt freedom the next. I couldn't have done it without my wonderful adviser at DMS. Highly recommended'.

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Mary and Kofi never thought of themselves as people who would suffer from debt problems. They had around £5,000 of debt on storecards and credit cards, but this was easily paid off each month and they didn't feel it was a problem.

However, things started to go wrong when Kofi was made redundant from his job. He was out of work for three months and during this period their total debt rose to a total of £10,000. Mary, who is a carer for old people, took on extra shifts at work but they found that they weren't making any headway into their debt.

They contacted DMS, and the advisor initially suggested that they consider bankruptcy, as they didn't own a house or a car. However, Mary and Kofi were prominent members of their church and wanted to avoid the stigma of bankruptcy. Their debts were no thigh enough for an IVA, so they decided to propose a Debt Management Plan.

DMS managed to get most of their interest frozen, and their monthly payments reduced to just £120, an amount they could easily afford. Through chipping away at their debt each month they eventually managed to pay it off. 'Debt Management was just the solution we needed', says Mary, 'it just makes life easier'.

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