Sara grew up with a step-dad who was an alcoholic and she didn’t really like being at home and felt like she didn’t belong. She was sexually abused as a child and teenager before going into foster care in her mid-teens. Sara started using alcohol when she was around 11 years old, then marijuana at 12 and eventually ice at 15. She ran away from foster care repeatedly, was homeless for about 14 years and had two children in her late teens and early 20’s. Whilst in prison for the second time for dealing drugs, Sara realized that she had to change, asked for help and found Narcotics Anonymous. Sara’s deferred sentence has enabled her to study for a Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs and she has been clean for over 9 months.

Nat’s parent split up when he was very young and living with his mum meant that he could pretty much do what he liked.  His primary school gang started to do break and enters when he was 6 years old and he regularly stole stuff from people’s beach houses. Nat started using alcohol and marijuana as a 14 year old and was binge drinking by the time he left school and moved out of home when he was 16.  He started a relationship with an alcoholic and started using speed, coke and heroin, enjoying the feeling without suffering any consequences.  Over the next 10 years he withdrew socially and avoided friends and family, started to steal, scam, lie and cheat to enable him to meet his drug needs.  Prison made him realize that he needed to do something about his life and through NA he eventually found a way to stay clean and enjoy life.

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.