Emma

When did you first start using?

When I first started drinking, I was probably around 18 years old. This began as a social outing with friends on weekends, but as I grew older, it became more frequent. When I was about 28 years old, I began to experiment with various substances.

When did it become a problem?

Things started to become difficult after a few years of using various substances. My spending began to spiral out of control, and I started selling my belongings to fund my drug addiction. My life focused around buying and doing drugs, and I saw my family less and less. Now that I think about it, things were really bad at the time.

What made you get help?

In the summer of 2020, I began to get excruciating stomach aches, which I linked to liver damage caused by excessive drinking. I was transported by ambulance to the hospital and admitted to A&E. A nurse came to visit me after about 10-15 minutes and informed me that I was in labour and needed to give birth. I was stunned and speechless. I’d been told years before by a doctor that I wasn’t able to have children.

20 minutes after the nurse told me this, I’d welcomed my baby boy into the world. I told the hospital staff about my substance abuse problems, and they put plans in place to help me detox. My family reached out and helped me contact Compare Rehab UK. Their staff was great and referred me to a rehabilitation facility to help me recover from my substances problem.

Where would you be now?

Without coming into recovery, I think I’d still be doing what I was doing. Life would still be hard work and chaotic and my physical health would be even worse than it was then. My child would have probably ended up in foster care.

How is life today?

Brilliant! I’m very excited to start a new life with my son. My relationship with my family is fantastic, and I once again feel like a sister, a daughter, and an auntie, in addition to being a mother. In recovery, I’ve made a lot of close friends, and my life today couldn’t be any better.