Reformed drug addict puts experience to good use

REFORMED drug addict Jackie Burke was about to die from a barbiturates overdose before he changed his ways.

A drug user since his teenage years in Co Antrim, he moved to Britain and after early highs let his life unravel during 30 years of addiction.

Today he educates young people not to repeat his mistakes and last year spoke to 25,000 school children in Ireland.

However, he said the dangers today are greater and while he does not believe in using scare tactics, the 54-year-old said young people need to know the risks.

He said drug dealers have become more ruthless and are adding a concoction of mixing agents which threaten the lives of users.

“To my shame during the bad times I used to sell drugs, but I tell you when people came to buy drugs off me I could have told them exactly what was in it because I was taking it myself. Dealers today have no morality, they mix it up as much as possible to make as much money as possible; you look at the deaths from drugs and I bet in most cases there is something else mixed in. You see ecstasy and you see the rat poison or horse tranquilisers they are putting in, that is what people are taking.”

Mr Burke said some local education programmes were misguided by trying to focus solely on health promotion and users’ safety.

He said ultimately there is no safe way of using drugs and the goal should be to stop people drifting into substance abuse altogether.

As well giving talks to schools and colleges Mr Burke has this year published a book, No Deals, on his life story and his message for young people.

Yesterday a number of other former addicts contacted the Gerry Ryan show on RTÉ 2FM to tell how drugs destroyed their lives.

A man named only as Darren spent more than a year injecting cocaine after being addicted to heroin and said his life fell apart on cocaine.

“It is lethal, absolutely lethal, I have lumps all over my arms from injecting cocaine.

“It is almost like a miniature heart attack, it is undescribable. You get the massive rush for three four five seconds but the come down is so horrible,” he said.

* No Deals, by Jackie Burke, is published by Poolbeg Press and is available now.