Women Aged 30-39

In her late twenties Dawn started drinking heavily to help her relax and cope with stress.

After about five years of regular cannabis consumption Jenna began to think she might be experiencing an ‘addiction’ to cannabis.

Lala began smoking cannabis in her mid-teens and has continued to do so since then.

Lucy describes herself as having a ‘cannabis habit’ and a ‘mental dependency’ to cannabis.

Nadia began smoking cannabis daily in her mid-teens. She says this helped her cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Josie first tried heroin in her early teens and has taken it fairly regularly since then, with long periods when she stopped taking it while pregnant.

Kate first tried drugs in her mid-teens, occasionally smoking cannabis, and taking LSD and speed with friends.

Sophie first tried cannabis as a pre-teen and after some time, she started smoking heroin through a bong. When she found she ‘wasn’t getting a kick anymore’ she started to inject it.

During periods of more frequent heroin use, Zadie says she developed ‘small dependencies’, feeling she needed it ‘to function’.

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.

Tiffany took ice regularly in her early twenties to help her manage full-time work and caregiving responsibilities for her children.

Zoe began taking ice occasionally in her late twenties and over the next year she says it became part of her daily routine.