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

Men Aged 18-29

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.

Ben

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

Ben started drinking and smoking cannabis with friends as a teenager and when he was in his twenties his drinking increased.

Scott

When Scott was in his early twenties, he went drinking regularly with his friends. He also worked at a nightclub, which he says gave him many opportunities to drink.

Artemis

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.

Dee Jay

Dee Jay started smoking cannabis daily in his early twenties while at university, and taking MDMA and cocaine on the weekends.

Dylan

Dylan began drinking alcohol and smoking ‘yarndi’ (cannabis) with his friends in his early teens and continued to do so into his early twenties.

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.

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.

Ted

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.

David

When David was in his mid-teens he first tried heroin with a cousin and then started taking it on his own.