The money I saved when I got clean was actually a terrifying thing for me and it made me question how non addicts spend so much.
Even when I put some in savings, I didn’t know what else to do. I don’t want an ipod or fifteen pairs of shoes etc.
Then a friend fell on hard times, had nowhere to live and found it impossible to go to university or get work without an address. I gave her £150 for a deposit on a rented house. She is now excelling at university and has already secured a good job when she graduates.
...I used to spend £150 on gear and crack in a day without even thinking.
I donated a lump sum to charity and to the charity record and book shop where I was given a voluntary job when I first got clean. I love that place.
Being clean, this will be the first year I’ve been included in family Christmas plans. I sent letters explaining that I didn’t want any gifts (what I want still isn’t material) and that I wouldn’t be buying gifts, but donating the money to a charity. To my surprise, all of the relatives who got in touch thought this was a great idea and are now donating to chosen charities instead of buying each other gifts.
That is thousands of pounds given to charity simply because one junkie got clean and realised a few things.
I spent over 30 thousand pounds on drugs and drink in the last two years of my active use, and I am only twenty years old. It’s going to take me a life time to repay that debt, but at least now I have a life in which to try and do that.