I was a $700-a-week teenage heroin addict — here’s the moment I hit rock bottom

A mom was a decade-long heroin addict, spending astir $680 connected nan constituent per week — but she kicked nan wont erstwhile she deed stone bottom.

When Shannon Ashley was 13, she tried heroin to “show off” successful beforehand of her sister — a situation that quickly led to a life of crime to salary for nan habit, including shoplifting and stealing.

Ashley, now 30, said she deed “rock bottom” erstwhile she mislaid her son, her location and went to situation for a 2nd clip for breaking nan conditions of her license.

After that, she decided she needed to alteration her manner and utilized methadone to wean disconnected nan narcotics while doing a typical building skills people successful situation to thief her make consciousness of her addiction.

“I’d beryllium dormant if I hadn’t gone to prison,” Ashley admitted. “I met nan astir astonishing group successful situation staff, and I benefited hugely from nan routine.”

The contented creator from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, shared that she lacked stableness increasing up pinch a “hectic” location life and struggling done school.

“Mum tried doing everything, but we lived connected nan breadline successful a very mediocre area. It was rough,” she shared.

“I can’t judge it erstwhile I look backmost connected nan things I did, I consciousness atrocious astir them, but I tin only move guardant and judge it. It’s each brought maine to wherever I americium now.”

She first started smoking heroin successful nan summertime of 2008 erstwhile she was a teen and would walk astir $70 connected a gram — but it would only past her a fewer hours.

In December 2009, Ashley sewage pregnant — but she continued connected pinch her heroin addiction.

“It was specified a analyzable group of feelings. I hated it and wanted it, too. The supplier had a clasp complete me,” she admitted. “I started utilizing methadone erstwhile I fell pregnant, but past I started taking heroin again too.” 

When her son, now 15, was born, he was 3 months early successful May 2010 and weighed conscionable 2 lbs 4 oz.

For nan adjacent 4 years, she was successful and retired of addiction — but erstwhile she wasn’t utilizing heroin, she was addicted to nan methadone.

She started to spiral toward stone bottommost erstwhile her ex-husband was arrested and sent to situation for 5 years for supplying drugs.

She started to return immoderate supplier she could find, including amphetamines and crack, and would bargain immoderate she could to salary for it — and moreover utilized her $900 use payments to bargain narcotics and commencement dealing to others.

During this time, she developed paranoia, mislaid her location and her boy was sent distant to unrecorded pinch her mother.

She struggled pinch withdrawal while successful situation but was released connected licence aft serving 4 of nan six twelvemonth term. But she took narcotics and ran away, which landed her backmost successful situation for different year.

That was what she needed for a last wake-up call.

“It was stricter, but it besides dawned connected maine that this could beryllium my life, and I realized that wasn’t what I wanted,” Ashley said. “In situation I prayed each nighttime that I’d beryllium capable to extremity taking heroin and abruptly I felt my prayers were answered.”

“It really was for illustration personification up location was watching.”

She soon realized she was successful power of her life, and what she wanted a family, a occupation and a “normal, regular life.”

“People connected narcotics can’t judge help. You don’t judge it’s drafting you into addiction,” she said. “”People tried to show maine I’d get addicted. I conscionable couldn’t perceive them. I was judge it wouldn’t hap to me.”

While successful prison, she cooked for nan unit and earned qualifications successful math, English, hospitality and catering.

She was released from situation successful March 2021 and lived successful supported housing. In May, she sewage her boy backmost and started volunteering successful a kindness shop.

Now she makes a surviving connected TikTok, earning betwixt $4,000 and $17,500 per period truthful she tin get disconnected of nan occupation seekers allowance.

Ashley met her woman Kathleen, 32, aft getting cleanable done TikTok successful November 2021, and they yet sewage joined successful May 2024 and had 2 daughters, now 15 and 3 months old, done IVF.

“I americium honestly proud of really difficult I person worked and what I person achieved. I want each 1 to cognize that betterment is possible,” she said. “I’ve gone from nan worst of nan worst to nan champion I tin ever be.”

“I honestly can’t explicate really my mindset abruptly changed. It was for illustration a flash earlier my eyes, I conscionable knew I could alteration my life.”

Due to her addition, Ashley has imperishable harm to her liver and suffers from PTSD — but she said she is “so happy now.”

“I want group to cognize it’s worthy accepting thief from supplier workers, and judge successful yourself,” she continued. “If you person a comparative connected narcotics get help, because you will beryllium struggling too. Stick pinch them, knowing personification is location intends a lot.”

“I utilized to deliberation I didn’t merit each these beautiful things, but I’ve worked difficult and I don’t person to beryllium difficult connected myself.”

“We don’t recognize what a privilege it is to beryllium connected nan sofa and move connected nan TV aliases make a java without having to inject aliases fume thing first.”