MY DRUGS HELL

IN the past five years Peter has spent time in jail, gone into debt,
taken an overdose and two of his friends have been shot.

The reason? Drugs.

Today, Peter*, now aged 22, tells the story of his spiral into despair
and near death in the hope that other young people will learn from his
mistakes.

"Drugs are in schools and there is a lot of peer pressure, but young
people should remember that once they try drugs it is very hard to
stop," the young Co Tyrone man said quietly.

"Like most young people, I started taking drugs when I was 17 because
of peer pressure.

"I thought I would try them and that would be it." He started using
LSD at the age of 17 and quickly moved onto ecstacy.

"It was good at the start. A good feeling and I liked it. But it has
given me so much trouble since.

"At the beginning I just took it at weekends but then I started using
it more and more and got into cocaine and speed.

"I had the attitude that I would never get caught."

Just over a year ago, Peter started dealing in ecstacy and cannabis to
feed his own habit.

He had no regard for his health and well-being, often going for days
without eating, and, during this time, two of his friend were shot in
the knees in local feuds over drug dealing.

Peter was sent to prison in August for suppling ecstacy and at this
stage was using it himself five or six days a week. He also lost his
job.

After being released, his life almost came to an end when he took an
accidental overdose and was found by his sister.

The overdose, combined with the fact that a member of his family began
to get really stressed over his drug use, brought Peter to his senses
and he was put in touch with with a drug rehabilitation unit.

"I saw the trouble and pain that I had been causing," he said, "I
realised that I did have a real problem."

Peter has just finished a 10 week course at the rehabilitation centre
in Belfast's Carlisle House.

"It made me realise what I was doing to myself," he
said.

"But I still find it so hard and think about drugs all the
time."

Peter says he used drugs to escape from reality and the things going
on in his life.

"But the more you use, the more you need the next time to get the same
high," he said.

"I would advise other young people just not to get
started.

"I still have not gained my appetite back and I can't sleep at night.
My doctor said it will take months to get back into shape."

Peter now hopes to go back to tech in September and has just recently
got a place of his own.

* His real name has been changed to protect his identity.