My addiction
Tuesday 29 November 2005
n2k reader Tessa tells us, in her own words, how she became addicted to drugs.
Who I am
I am a 16 year old student studying a business course at my school in Sheffield .
I was predicted B’s & C’s for my GCSEs but got C’s and D’s, because towards the end of my GCSEs I started to skip lessons and hand in half-done coursework.
I didn’t care any more: all I could think about was getting high, because I had learnt bad habits like smoking weed.
I started smoking cigarettes from the age of 11 years old but on and off. I only started smoking properly from the age of 14, and now I am addicted.
How it started
It started at the summer of 2004 when I went on holiday to Egypt with my auntie. In some of the restaurants in Egypt when you eat they bring you flavoured tobacco in a bong to smoke.
It's the same as cigarettes but a bit stronger, so while I was there, my auntie said that I could smoke it while I was on holiday, but not when I got home.
Regular smoker
I would smoke it every day after lunch, dinner and tea breaks. I became addicted to it. When I came back I tried to give up, but it was extremely hard; I ended up buying a bong when I got back and I'd smoke it every two days.
Trying for the first time
One day I went to my friend's flat and we smoked the bong while we watched some films. Her boyfriend and his mates came round and they were smoking cannabis, a class B drug. One of them thought it would be a great idea to add the cannabis to the tobacco.
The habit starts
I didn’t smoke cannabis at the time but from that night I started to, both on its own and mixed with flavoured tobacco. By the end of year 10, it was a normal thing to me, but was I addicted? Yes.
Signs of addiction
I went on holiday last year to Dubai, which meant that I couldn’t get hold of cannabis. I thought to myself that if I went two weeks without it, I would give up.
Those two weeks were hell for me; I didn’t enjoy myself at all. I knew it was a problem but I ignored it. Coursework deadlines came; exams were weeks away. I was stressed, so I smoked more cannabis. I didn’t do my coursework to the best of my ability.
How I was helped
My two best friends saw that I was falling apart. I had no idea what I needed to revise for my exams and I was not going to my lessons: in only two weeks, I would go on study leave.
They sat me down and told me that I was addicted to cannabis and I had to get my head straight and get to my lessons. I started going to my lessons, as they made sure I was there with help from our learning mentor, but I was going to my classes stoned.
Cutting down
My friends told my sister, my cousin and my boyfriend, who made sure I cut down big time on the cannabis.
If I went out, I was with them or my best friends or family so I couldn’t get hold of any cannabis. My boyfriend threatened to dump me if I didn’t pack it in. This made me cut down to one spliff a week; this was amazing for me because I would smoke three to four spliffs a day.
How it ended
I am no longer addicted to cannabis or flavoured tobacco, and I don't smoke them.
Although I've not beaten cigarettes, I have cut down to half a packet a day. Hopefully one day I will be able stop altogether.
My addiction to cannabis stopped me from doing well and getting the grades that I should have got. Now I am doing vocational course in business and retaking some exams again.
I believe that if my mates hadn't got involved, I would be smoking cannabis and wouldn’t be where I am at this time.
They and my boyfriend have all helped me so much. I owe them so much and I love them so much.
Getting help
Remember, buying, selling, possessing and taking cannabis are all illegal. If you need more information about any form of drug abuse or addiction, take a look at the Talk To Frank web site.
You can now text FRANK anytime with a drug-related question. It's completely confidential and you'll receive a reply from a trained expert. Text your question to 82111.
It has also launched a new online self-help application that aims to help you quit cannabis. By tracking how much cannabis you take and when you get cravings, it'll help you control the situation. It is recommended that you take the course for at least four weeks. Find out more here.
Not only do they have online info on pretty much any drug question you might have, they also have a helpline staffed by experts who can help you out.
