This Could Be You
Kylie – 26
“I was sexually abused from the age of 18 months by my father and his friends until I escaped by running away when I was fourteen. I take drugs to forget and I work the streets (prostitute) to pay for them. I can’t sleep in a bed or live in a house because it brings back too many bad memories. I don’t trust anyone and I know that the drugs will eventually kill me but what have I got to live for?”
Ryan - 36
“My mum was an alcoholic, she was either drunk or in bed. Me and my brothers had to fend for ourselves. We’d never have a hot meal and never went to school. By the age of twelve I was drinking and hanging around with a group of dodgy lads. By fourteen I was in Borstal and the Police knew me well. Nobody cared about me and I hated everybody. I’ve been in and out of prison all my life; it’s the only way I know how to survive. I would really like to lead a normal life with a wife and kids but I don’t know how.”
Chris – 53
“You never think it will happen to you. I had the wife, the kids, the house, the car and the two holidays abroad. Life was great until my company were doing the redundancy rounds and I got picked. I was the only bread-winner and it hit me hard. I lost my self-respect but worst of all, the respect of my wife and children. I was searching the job papers but no one seemed interested in hiring me. The pressure got too much and my wife asked me to leave. I went from my house to my friend’s floor and finally to a sleeping bag on cold concrete in a car park. This wasn’t meant to happen to me, this happens to other people!”
Mike - 37
Everything was okay until my wife developed cancer and, after months of battling the disease, one night she died in my arms. My world was turned upside down and I couldn’t live in the house we had rented together. I left my job and my home and moved to a new city. I slept rough for a while until I got into a night shelter. I tried to forget but the pain wouldn’t go away. Eventually I turned to heroin to numb the pain. Seven years on I can’t kick the habit. Every time I try to come off, the pain comes back. The Doctor says I’ll lose my leg if I continue to inject. This scares me but the only support I have is the heroin.
Lucy – 16
My Mum’s a crack addict and she sells me to support her habit. I love her and need her so I go along with it, it makes her happy and I get to hang out with her friends. Now and again she gives me some of her white (crack) to make the sex easier for me, she says I’ll get used to it and it’s not such a big deal. She looks after me. She loves me so much.