Things were bad at home for Sammi, and the thought of going to high school was exciting. She met new people who seemed so grown up and mature – anything that made her forget what was happening at home seemed inviting. It started with a cigarette – everyone seemed to be smoking and it was a case of fitting in. It wasn’t long before a fag became a spliff.
Sammi’s attitude was ‘it’s only weed’ but from here her drug taking escalated.
Her mates moved on to harder stuff and Sammi did likewise. She went on to have three children and life was tough. Drugs offered her some escapism.
She said, “I’m clean now, off everything, but it doesn’t matter. I have lost my three kids and my home. I have made some silly choices and some bad decisions.”
“Drugs have ruined my life. I am in a supported homeless hostel, I am without all my children, fending for myself and I am now trying to rebuild my life and it’s all because of drugs. All because of that one stupid decision to smoke weed because my pals were doing it.”
Sammi has shared her story with local teenagers in schools with St Martins Reality Check project, which demonstrates the truth about drugs through real-life experiences.