FROM smoking cannabis as a 15-year-old to injecting heroin to "feel normal", Chris Youd's drug addiction spanned 25 years. He admits he has no tough upbringing or peer pressure to blame on experimenting with drugs, but says it shaped his life in a way he now regrets.
Chris, from Penkhull, believes he contracted Hepatitis C on a "one-off" occasion when he shared drug equipment with another user. He was diagnosed in 1996 but ended up not going through with treatment because of the stigma he felt was attached to how he got the disease.
Until last year, treatment for people from Stoke-on-Trent was only given at hospital. But it has since begun being offered by health and social care charity CRI, based at Festival Park.
Getting treatment and the all-clear has helped him to turn his life around and Chris is now volunteering in a role which involves working with those who are going through the same experience he did.
Chris, aged 41, said: "There was no real reason for me to start taking drugs, I blame myself for it.
"I started off on cannabis and drinking cider but, by the time I was 18, I was using heroin.
"I was taking it everyday and about nine to 12 months in, I realised I was doing it just to feel normal.
"By then, there was no high, no buzz, no thrill – nothing."
Despite the revelation, his drug use continued and Chris also began dealing. His life spiralled further out of control and in 1999 he was handed a five-year prison sentence for the manslaughter of a pub landlady.
He said: "I always used to use my own equipment but I think I contracted Hepatitis C when I began dealing.
"I shared a filter on just one day and I got caught. You can get it as easy as that.
"I was aware there was a risk, but not how serious it was.
"I only went to the doctor when I felt off and when I got diagnosed I was in tears before I got out of the surgery.
"I thought I may as well hit the drugs hard because I had nothing to lose."
Chris later tried to get off drugs on his own but was unsuccessful until he got in touch with CRI. He believes he would never have had the treatment if it wasn't for the charity.
Chris added: "CRI re-tested me and found out my condition was quite progressive.
"I was one of the first people to have treatment from them and it took 12 weeks to show any signs of success. My side effects were really bad. I scratched myself until I bled and I was constantly sick for two weeks.
"My treatment lasted for 48 weeks and was worse after the injections but I have got through it and should have the final all-clear in January.
"Now I wish I had done something sooner instead of being selfish towards my partner and others around me.
"I hope my experiences can help other people and I want to make people realise support is there for them."
Source: www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk
