I never thought a middle-class mum like me could be a drug addict
A MOTHER of two became addicted to co-codamol after being prescribed it for a simple knee operation.
Nicki Hari was first given the drug, which is a mixture of the opioid codeine and paracetamol, when she was 19. She says her addiction lasted 25 years – and only ended when her friends forced her to get help.
‘I thought people like me, a middleclass mother of two with a nice home, couldn’t be a drug addict,’ said the 51-year-old from Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. ‘How wrong I was.
‘I even agreed to surgery I didn’t need to get more painkillers. Looking back, I was addicted to co-codamol within weeks of my first prescription. Soon I was taking it up to six times a day – way more than I was supposed to.
‘When the effects wore off, I’d feel anxious and jittery. I’d ache and sweat all over, like I had flu.
‘For years I was given repeat prescriptions. When my GP queried my request for more, I would make an appointment to see another doctor. I know I played the system but there should be better control of it.
‘The only time I came off the drugs was when pregnant with my two sons, who are now 19 and 20, but each time I had severe withdrawal symptoms. I suffered a tear during the birth and was given co-codamol for the pain.
‘I used to take most of my pills in the evening and sometimes was so out of it I couldn’t remember if I’d taken any, so would take more and then pass out.
‘Work – I was based at a call centre – became hard as I was so drowsy, so I went part time. Scared that my prescriptions might dry up, I exaggerated other medical issues.
‘When I was 35 I complained about an issue with my sinuses, leading to an operation. I agreed to a hysterectomy aged 41 – partly because I’d be prescribed co-codamol afterwards.
‘A few months after that, I was barely getting out of bed most days. Then my two best friends turned up at my house and said: “We’re taking you to get help.” They took me to see a psychiatrist, who told me I was in the depths of a serious drug addiction.
‘I agreed to go into rehab. I was one of the lucky ones – I know lots of people who struggle. Slowly, I was weaned off the drug and now avoid all painkillers.’