I woke up every morning, put on my ironed shirt and tie, drove to work, and sold my cell phone at the call center.
I got along with my co-workers, achieved my goals, and earned bonuses. I was looking forward to a promotion and was saving up to buy a house.
I was just a normal guy.
I never imagined that when I quit my job, I would go straight to the dealer to hand over £200 for my heroin stash. But that’s what I did. every day.
Looking at my background, you wouldn’t think I was an addict. I was never a troubled child. My family was close-knit and loving.
But as a teenager, he enjoyed clubbing, so he progressed from alcohol and marijuana to recreational drugs.
I was 17 or 18 when I first tried heroin. It was “new” among my circle of friends. We have used many other substances and had someone come to my house with it and try it.
The first time I used it was one of the most amazing sensations I’ve ever had, even though I felt physically sick. It just went from there.
I was naive. I had no idea where it would end.
I worked hard during the week, starting with a stint in a training scheme at a do-it-yourself shop before working in a call center.
But I go out to parties on weekends. It started when I was drinking heroin with friends on the weekends, but after work and during work.
It just escalated. I was fine at first, but after a while I started having withdrawal symptoms and needed more heroin in just a few hours.
One day, when I was 20, on a family vacation with my partner, my 8-year-old daughter-in-law and 4-year-old son, I was overwhelmed by the overwhelming hope of colliding. It was crazy because we were in North Wales hundreds of miles away.
I didn’t know where to look for medicine, so I tried to find codeine.
At that moment, I realized that I was in trouble.
Still, I continued with my daily routine. I drop my kids to school, go to work, pick up heroin, and pick them up.
Heroin was easy to come by as there were a few locals that I could score with. Used credit cards, loans and overdrafts.
As time went on, my tolerance increased and I needed more. When I looked feverish and pale, my colleague asked if I was okay.
I would say I was sick and use that as a reason to leave early, or I would sneak into the car and smoke with heroin in the glovebox box.
At first, I was able to hide my drug use from everyone. However, as time went on, more and more people realized that things weren’t quite right.
I went on like that for months. I have become good at deceiving. I was losing weight, but if anyone commented, I’d say I had personal issues.
About 18 months later, when I was just 20, I was called to a meeting with the HR person at work.
I’m surprised the suspicions didn’t arise immediately. I had enough and the company persuaded me to file a notice.
Then everything escalated. I went from a nice house, a nice car, a vacation to nothing.
my partner and i It was the last straw for my girlfriend’s parents who were worried about us.
It was heartbreaking. My partner and I separated and I got deep into the drug scene.
I started selling heroin to pay for my addiction. I saw something I shouldn’t have seen. It’s one thing to take drugs and one thing to get something that every addict wants. They’re willing to do anything to get it. I was repeatedly physically attacked, held at knifepoint and held hostage.
I was lucky to have the support of my family because I never lost contact with them, but having a house and a nice job, I soon found myself in a situation I never thought I would experience. I came to live in a world where I was not.
I look back on my life and how I got here. I’m glad I didn’t go to jail. I got into trouble with the police. There were indictments pending, but by then I didn’t care if I was dead or alive.
There were times when I drank too much and barely recovered. I wake up with blue lips and cold skin. It was dark.
At that time, my grandfather who was sick Dementia, passed away. He was one of the most inspirational men I’ve met and I was blown away. I promised him in the chapel of rest that I would fix things.
At this point, I was 5 feet 10 inches and weighed just over 9 stone. I sought help from both medical services and addiction agencies multiple times, but the waiting list was long.
At 24, I finally got a job with Aspire Drug and Alcohol Services.A combination of group therapy and support changed my life.
At this point, I was living in a rented property with a drug addict, and through Aspire I found what I was missing. A sense of belonging.
Finding that sense of connection and community was key to my recovery. They believed me and gave me a voluntary role and then a paid role.
I received a prescription for methadone (a synthetic opioid used to treat heroin addicts), but I never used heroin again.
I am now in a long term recovery and it has been 22 years since my last blow.
Around that time, I went back to college and used the court system to get access to my son.
Since then I have had other children and am now a grandfather. I am no longer in touch with my ex. I don’t even know where she is.
I started working for Aspire in 2003 to help others overcome their addictions. I now hold a very challenging role as Senior Group Work Practitioner and also manage the Volunteer and Mentor Program.
An average of 40 new people contact us each week about both drug and alcohol issues. That’s more than double his pre-pandemic numbers.
These are experts. These include teachers, nurses, solicitors, working from home, drinking early in the morning, and using heroin to relax.
In 2012, I launched Recovery Games for people struggling with substance abuse to rediscover a sense of community. It’s a combination of It’s a Knockout and Ultimate Wipeout. There are inflatables, there is a DJ, and people are in costume.
Around 100 people started out, but now there are 40 teams from all over the UK. The event aims to help people understand that recovery can be enjoyed, not put up with.
A few years ago, I was invited to the United Nations Office in Vienna to present the idea of the Recovery Game. From sleeping in the back of an abandoned black taxi in a junkyard, I got paid to go to Austria to discuss my ideas. I was really proud of myself then.
If you struggle with substance abuse, reach out to someone. I look back now and thank my lucky stars that I am alive and living a drug-free, healthy, happy and fulfilling life.
I want people to understand how slippery slope addiction can be, but most importantly, recovery from heroin is possible.
As Sarah Ingram said
Have a story you’d like to share? Please email [email protected].
Please share your opinion in the comments below.
MORE : He secretly took heroin on our perfect date – I didn’t find out until he was arrested
MORE : Happy Mondays star Sean Ryder claims brother Paul’s ex-heroin addiction did not contribute to his death
MORE INFORMATION : Heroin Pusher ringtone sounds ‘That’s your drug dealer’ during a police interview
Metro.co.uk’s exciting new series, What It Feels Like, shares not only the inspiring story of one person, but also the details and emotions that entwine that story, giving readers a true insight into life-changing experiences. to be able to obtain
window.fbApi = (function () {
var fbApiInit = false;
var awaitingReady = [];
var notifyQ = function () {
var i = 0,
l = awaitingReady.length;
for (i = 0; i < l; i++) {
awaitingReady[i]();
}
};
var ready = function (cb) {
if (fbApiInit) {
cb();
} else {
awaitingReady.push(cb);
}
};
var checkLoaded = function () {
return fbApiInit;
};
window.fbAsyncInit = function () {
FB.init({
appId: '176908729004638',
xfbml: true,
version: 'v2.10'
});
fbApiInit = true;
notifyQ();
};
return {
'ready' : ready,
'loaded' : checkLoaded
};
})();
(function () {
function injectFBSDK() {
if ( window.fbApi && window.fbApi.loaded() ) return;
var d = document,
s="script",
id = 'facebook-jssdk';
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) {
return;
}
js = d.createElement(s);
js.id = id;
js.async = true;
js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js";
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}
if (window.metro) {
window.addEventListener('scroll', injectFBSDK, {once: true, passive: true});
} else {
window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', injectFBSDK, {once: true});
}
})();
