For Marcus, life was pretty interesting from the start, getting in to trouble at school and probably having undiagnosed ADHD. He was disconnected and obsessive from around 9 years old, stealing money to buy basketball cards and play video games. Marcus was always looking for excitement and started smoking weed in year 7, eventually leaving school in year 9. He got involved in crime to fund his drug use and started injecting heroin in his early 20’s. It was all downhill from here into a life of drugs, crime and gaol. Marcus didn’t really care who he hurt or what became of him as he couldn’t stop using. As a last resort he eventually asked his family for help, he got into rehab and then to Narcotics Anonymous. After a couple of attempts at NA, Marcus has now been clean for 15 months and can’t believe how good life is.

Will’s family moved around a lot when he was young and he found it difficult to fit in at each new school. He moved from New Zealand to Australia in year 7 where he was bullied and excluded based on his accent. On New Year’s Eve Will discovered alcohol at 13 years old, drank to blackout and fell out of a treehouse. He returned to Aus. around 18 and over about 4 years Will progressed to using marijuana daily but moved on to using methamphetamines after having some seizures. Gambling while using, he exhausted his partner’s money and eventually they were evicted from their accommodation. This was the first time Will had to be honest about his addiction and this led him into NA and after a short relapse he has now been clean for 6 months, loves life and has great relationships.

If you have a problem with drugs of any kind, you can call the Narcotics Anonymous helpline on 1300 652 820 or 0488 811 247 or go online at na.org.au.