Drug and alcohol support - Tony's story

Watch Tony's video. He shares how growing up and going to raves introduced him to drugs. See how he soon realised he had to change his lifestyle to avoid worse consequences.

Tony's video transcript

[Title card] Kent County Council Alcohol and Drug Support - Tony's story.

[Tony enters the room and sits down on the chair in front of the camera in an office. He sits down smiling]

Tony: "Growing up, I just sort of felt I never fitted in. I had nice parents, but they weren't my real parents, they were adopted parents.

My birth mum left me with my adopted mum at two weeks old. Don't know whether that played part of my addiction journey. About the age of 11, 12, got into the rave scene. We went down to a rave club, and were offered drugs, which at the time was LSD.

So from that started to try other stuff. I tried heroin, and I tried heroin in a needle. My life changed overnight.

The addiction got worse and worse. Got seriously into crime. I thought the two options was I was either going to go to prison for a long time or I was going to be in a box under the ground.

I didn't think I could be happy.

I asked for help then. I went on this programme, and there was a lady on there who had addiction issues. She'd gone through it 20 years, clean and sober. It was one of the first bits of evidence I saw that you can get clean, you can recover.

I feel that I've got enough tools in the toolbox to get me through and that's all that matters. One day at a time.

Just don't give up giving up. That's the best advice I can give."

[End card] For more information visit kent.gov.uk/alcohol-and-drug-support