Warning Signs in My Life

By Megan Brewer

With almost two years of sobriety, I’ve come to realise that there were major warning signs indicating my path towards addiction. I hope, by sharing my experience, to create awareness in others.

When I started experimenting with drugs, my friend group was one of the first things to change. Soon my parents had an issue with those I was choosing to spend my time with. I was not willing to listen, so began to isolate from my family. When they kept bothering me, I eventually ran away to live with my boyfriend. I began using daily and cut ties with my family completely.

Before this, my academics had dropped and I lost interest in all my passions. My behaviour became more aggressive and I was seriously disrespectful every time my family tried to reach out to me. I began to lie to everybody about what I was doing, the lies got so out of hand that I battled to keep up with them myself. I lost interest in everything and everyone I loved. My living space was an absolute mess and I lost all care for hygiene. I experienced drastic weight loss and continued to surround myself with negative influences, losing every good person I had in my life. I had lost all hope.

Once my parents started noticing these signs, they realised the need for immediate intervention. I will be forever grateful for the intervention in my life, and without it I don’t believe I would be here to write this article. Awareness is key and it saves lives.