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Personal stories addiction women 50+, heroin addiction, cannabis addiction, ice addiction, prescription drug addiction, OTC addiction, men & women 18-60, women 50+, personal stories addiction men aged 30-39, Personal stories addiction men aged 50+, Personal stories speed addiction, personal stories ice addiction

Experiences with Cannabis

Here you’ll find participants’ accounts of living with addiction, dependence or a drug habit. The people and stories were carefully selected to highlight diversity in backgrounds and experiences. While this website is not able to tell every possible story in Australia, it can show just how different people and their experiences are. In the stories can be found details of the many important concerns and circumstances our participants negotiated in living with addiction, dependence or a drug habit.

The stories presented here rely on participant reports of drug use and related health issues. Some experiences may not conform to medical definitions or medical advice, but notes have been added in such cases to clarify key points.

While these narratives were written from the interview transcripts and rely on participants’ own words, some aspects have been paraphrased to improve coherence and readability. In making these changes we have worked hard to remain faithful to the original meaning and intentions. Some experiences may also be presented in other sections of the website, using more detailed quotations.

Andrew
audio recording, prescription drugs, cannabis, cannabis habit, depression, heroin, men 40-49, drinking, alcohol problem, ice addiction
Andrew started smoking cannabis daily in his late teens and in his twenties he started drinking alcohol heavily. He now describes his alcohol and cannabis consumption as ‘addictions’.
Anika
Experiences with cannabis women aged 18-29
Anika has smoked cannabis on a regular basis since her mid-teens. She says she smokes to ‘chill out’, and ‘be more open…happy and content with life’.
Artemis
men 18-29. cannabis, party drugs, life story
In his early twenties, Artemis began smoking cannabis with his partner at the time and a few years later, after moving to Australia, he started taking drugs sometimes referred to as party drugs.
Callum
cannabis, cannabis addiction, drug counselling, depression. anxiety, heroin addiction, alcohol, ice, prescription drugs, life story, drug use experience, drinking, heroin, morphine, alcohol habit, addictions, speed
Callum began smoking cannabis in his mid-teens, which he says ‘was a sign of rebellion’ during a time when he ‘wasn’t happy with [his] life’.
Dee Jay
cannabis, cannabis addiction, drug counselling, depression. anxiety, heroin addiction, alcohol, ice, prescription drugs, life story, drug use experience, drinking, heroin, morphine, alcohol habit, addictions, speed
Dee Jay started smoking cannabis daily in his early twenties while at university, and taking MDMA and cocaine on the weekends.
Dylan
cannabis, cannabis addiction, drug counselling, depression. anxiety, heroin addiction, alcohol, ice, prescription drugs, life story, drug use experience, drinking, heroin, morphine, alcohol habit, addictions, speed
Dylan began drinking alcohol and smoking ‘yarndi’ (cannabis) with his friends in his early teens and continued to do so into his early twenties.
Jacob
audio recording, prescription drugs, cannabis, cannabis habit, depression, heroin, men 40-49, drinking, alcohol problem, ice addiction
Jacob started smoking cannabis in his late teens when he was studying for a tertiary qualification as he found it helped him concentrate on his studies.
Jenna
cannabis, cannabis addiction, drug counselling, depression. anxiety, heroin addiction, alcohol, ice, prescription drugs, life story, drug use experience, drinking, heroin, morphine, alcohol habit, addictions, speed
After about five years of regular cannabis consumption Jenna began to think she might be experiencing an ‘addiction’ to cannabis.
Jim
cannabis habit, cannabis addiction, Experiences with cannabis men aged 18-29
Jim began smoking cannabis in his late teens at parties with his friends. He says this bound his social circle together.
Lala
Experiences with cannabis women aged 30-39
Lala began smoking cannabis in her mid-teens and has continued to do so since then.
Louise
cannabis, cannabis addiction, drug counselling, depression. anxiety, heroin addiction, alcohol, ice, prescription drugs, life story, drug use experience, drinking, heroin, morphine, alcohol habit, addictions, speed
When Louise first started smoking cannabis regularly, her parents encouraged her to seek alcohol and other drug counselling.
Lucy
Experiences with cannabis addiction women aged 30-39
Lucy describes herself as having a ‘cannabis habit’ and a ‘mental dependency’ to cannabis.
Matthew
cannabis, cannabis addiction, drug counselling, depression. anxiety, heroin addiction, alcohol, ice, prescription drugs, life story, drug use experience, drinking, heroin, morphine, alcohol habit, addictions, speed
Matthew has smoked cannabis ‘for the better part of thirty years’. He finds it helps him cope with depression, and gives him hope and motivation.
Max
audio recording, prescription drugs, cannabis, cannabis habit, depression, heroin, men 40-49, drinking, alcohol problem, ice addiction
A few years before the interview, Max's father died and he started smoking cannabis every day to cope with the loss.
Nadia
cannabis, cannabis addiction, drug counselling, depression. anxiety, heroin addiction, alcohol, ice, prescription drugs, life story, drug use experience, drinking, heroin, morphine, alcohol habit, addictions, speed
Nadia began smoking cannabis daily in her mid-teens. She says this helped her cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Pauline
Experiences of cannabis addiction from women aged 50-59
Pauline started smoking cannabis daily in her mid-teens and continued during her twenties while at university.
Sydalicious
audio recording, prescription drugs, cannabis, cannabis habit, depression, heroin, men 40-49, drinking, alcohol problem, ice addiction
Sydalicious started smoking cannabis when she was in her late teens and has smoked it intermittently since then. She finds it helps her manage pain associated with injuries she sustained in a motorcycle accident.
Ted
cannabis, MDMA, cocaine, GHB
In his early twenties, Ted began smoking cannabis daily, and then a few years later he started taking MDMA, cocaine and GHB regularly. He also took ice and ketamine occasionally.
Renee
cannabis, cannabis addiction, drug counselling, depression. anxiety, heroin addiction, alcohol, ice, prescription drugs, life story, drug use experience, drinking, heroin, morphine, alcohol habit, addictions, speed
During her teens Renee smoked cannabis daily with her then partner. The relationship ended when she was in her early twenties and it was around this time that she began taking ecstasy and ice.