Chapter 4 Dave’s Story

“I realised that drink and drugs were taking a toll on my physical and mental health and that something had to give.” -Dave

Chapter 4

Dave’s Story

“There is no shame in beginning again, for you get a chance to build bigger and better than before.” -Leon brown

I was born and reared in Ballymun, and I came from a respectable tight-knit family. I was a relatively latecomer to drink and drugs in comparison to a lot of young people from the community. I had my first drink with my friends at 19 years of age and it soon became a weekend thing, socialising with mates, drinking cans and going to pubs and clubs. I enjoyed the buzz alcohol gave me, and in a relatively short time, it became part of my daily routine. Drink was easy to get on tick at that time, so I didn’t need to revert to crime in order to feed my habit. I left home around the age of 21. By 24 or 25 years of age, I was hooked on alcohol and I realised I had a drink problem. A few years later, I was introduced to heroin. I was drinking in a flat with friends who knocked out drugs. They were smoking ‘gear’ (heroin) and I asked if I could try it. Much like drink, I was taking it recreationally, but within a year, I was also hooked on ‘gear’. I used drink as a substitute when I couldn’t get drugs. By the age of 30, I was doing heroin on an almost daily basis and I was getting into crime to feed my habit.

During this time, my family were unaware of the severity of my drinking and ignorant to my drug-taking. My father passed away suddenly when I was 30 and I moved back to the family home. I continued to actively use and scheme and scam to get my next fix. Some family members had a suspicion that I was using drugs, but I was able to continue my drug use undetected until I was 37, when my family caught me using drugs in the bedroom.

My family were very supportive and within a week or two, I was on the methadone maintenance programme at the ‘Red Brick’(Methadone clinic). I still dabbled with heroin for a few years after I went on the ‘molly’ (methadone). I fell ill due to my alcohol use and was diagnosed as a diabetic. I realised that drink and drugs were taking a toll on my physical and mental health and that something had to give. I remember, out of sheer desperation, turning to God to help me. I fell ill again and this was my turning point. Shortly after getting out of hospital, I linked in with a local rehab programme. Within a few years, I began my methadone detox, going into The Lantern for my last 10mls. This was more of a psychological thing to prepare myself, knowing that drugs would always be there in the community and elsewhere

I now have my life back on track and I am drug-free approximately 3 years. Despite the fact that my community is akin to a drugs supermarket, I am confident and committed to remaining drug-free. I want to appeal to all those people who are struggling with their drug use and feeling that there is no way out, to reach out and to use available supports both locally and nationally, but more importantly, do it for yourself. What I have learnt is that drugs and drink are a symptom of a wider problem in Ballymun. I learned in rehabilitation; I could not do it for my mother, partner, brother and sister. I had to do it for myself. I also realised in recovery that I had a choice. I had made some bad choices over the years, and the choice I make today is to stay drug-free. •