Ballymun Recovery Stories: Personal Journeys of Drug & Alcohol Recovery
13 Samantha’s Story “Nothing is impossible; the word itself says, ‘I’m possible!’” - Audrey Hepburn I live in Ballymun, where I have lived since I was a kid. I started drugs at a very young age 13. Like most people in the area, it was just socialising. I had my first child at 16. After she was born, my partner and I went into heavier substance use and by the age of 18, I was addicted and put on a methadone clinic. I stayed on drugs for 23 years. During that time, I had two more daughters. My 2 eldest were taken from me because of my addiction. The third daughter I kept. All 3 suffered the consequences that my addiction caused them. Still, today, coming on 9 years clean, I still struggle with my feelings. For
years I denied them by using drugs. A moment of clarity happened when the doctors told me that I had a year to live because my liver was so damaged by my drug use. If I did not go on treatment, I was going to die. On the way from the hospital, I was with my parents in the car. Nothing was said, but I could see the fear in my mother’s eyes, fear that she was going to lose her child. I was able to put myself in another person’s shoes. I felt such sadness for my parents and that my children might have to bury me. This was new for me. It was like a spiritual awakening. I knew I needed to change. It made me really, really 69
