"My drug addiction."

At the age of 15 I met a guy, who I thought was amazing yet there was more to him than I knew. I started using drugs and domestic violence started. It made me feel alone and upset. I started getting into the drugs really bad, it started affecting my family, I left my family and moved in with him and I left school. I lied constantly to my mum and dad about what I was doing and where I was and was always asking for money for ‘food’, but really for drugs. I realised that the guy I was dating wasn’t a very nice guy, this went on for ages, drugs drugs drugs it didn’t stop. I then fell pregnant with my oldest child, I was still using ice and pot, my partner was bashing me, we had fights daily and police got involved. My family got involved, it just kept getting worse, I thought my baby would die. Money started being a problem, he was stealing and doing bad stuff within the community. After my baby was born I thought the abuse and drugs would stop, but it didn’t. 

When my baby was 2 months old I finally left him, but then it got worse. I then found out I was pregnant with my second child. I was only 17 at this stage. 

A couple of days had passed, I found this guy I thought was just the best thing that had ever happened he was so nice, he treated me like a princess, but there was still drugs. After a month he started hitting me and the abused got worse, my parents were always having my first child. Eventually I got deep into the drugs and party life and they took my child. Family and Community Services (FACS) got involved. This guy I was seeing was dealing drugs, he nearly killed me a few times, it was torture.

We were always moving around house to house, never had a stable place to stay, sometimes didn’t have somewhere to sleep. I went days maybe a week at a time without food. I was missing doctors appointments for my baby, I was using drugs not only because I was addicted, but because it helped with the pain of being bashed and all the crimes going on around me. The whole time I was pregnant with my second child I got beaten - eventually he went to jail. I had my second child and life seemed good, but then FACS took my second baby too. The worst day of my life when I had to walk out of the hospital without my baby. It crushed me I didn’t know what to do anymore, then I then started injecting ice and occasionally heroin. That’s when my life really hit rock bottom - I was a junkie. It was not a good life. I was in a crowd of really bad people, my parents had to stop contacting me for the safety of themselves and my children.

After a few more months went by I eventually hit rock bottom, after fighting with my family day in and day out. I just gave in. I missed my babies and my family too much. I had recently lost my Pop. Lost all contact with my children. I knew I needed to get some help, so I contacted Wattle Grove Detox, they kept me there for 12 days. It was great, they have so much support there. I then went onto Odyssey House in Sydney for 6-7 months. That was the hardest thing I ever had to do, being so far away from my family and kids. I then left there and got a bed in the Wattle Grove Rehabilitation Unit in Orange. That place is bloody amazing. The help and support and the staff are just dead set amazing. if it wasn’t for Joel, I don’t think I would have made it home to my children and stayed clean.

If people have an addiction and want help. Please get it! Make that call, it will be the best thing you ever do. There’s a much better life out there than the drugs trust me. It gets hard - bloody hard - there are days where you don’t want to live or just want to give up, but trust me just get help. I now have my kids and family back. I’m working studying and have my L’s. Life is great now. PLEASE GET HELP IF YOU NEED IT. Life’s too short to do drugs and wreck your life. It’s never to late to get help.