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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 Speed, Ice & Other Stimulants

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.

Dean
Experiences with ice men aged 30-39
Dean began taking ice and GHB in his early twenties with sexual partners.
Ethan
Experiences with ice men aged 30-39, ice addiction
Ethan grew up in what he describes as a ‘very religious and restricted’ household. In his late teens he began a relationship and moved in with his boyfriend.
Eva
audio recording, prescription drugs, cannabis, cannabis habit, depression, heroin, men 40-49, drinking, alcohol problem, ice addiction
Eva first tried ice when she was a teenager with some friends, thinking it was speed.
Jason
audio recording, prescription drugs, cannabis, cannabis habit, depression, heroin, men 40-49, drinking, alcohol problem, ice addiction
In his late teens Jason started taking ecstasy and speed every few weeks with his friends and partner at the time.
John
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 John was in his twenties, he started taking ice to enhance the experience of sex.
Melanie
ice addiction, experiences with ice women aged 18-29
Melanie started taking ice in her early twenties and after a while she began to feel like her consumption had become ‘problematic’.
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.
Scarlett
Experiences with ice women aged 18-29
Scarlett first tried ice in her early twenties but didn’t take it again for a couple of years. Then she started taking it with her partner every couple of months.
Tiffany
experiences with ice women aged 30-39
Tiffany took ice regularly in her early twenties to help her manage full-time work and caregiving responsibilities for her children.
Zoe
Experiences with ice women aged 30-39
Zoe began taking ice occasionally in her late twenties and over the next year she says it became part of her daily routine.
Brad
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 he was in his late teens Brad was prescribed a ‘very mild’ stimulant for ‘mood enhancement’. He soon began taking more than the prescribed dose.