Paul Barrett believed he would die from his dependence on cocaine and street Valium which saw him sent to jail for robbery and steal from family to fund the habit.
A Lanarkshire dad who spent 17-years addicted to drugs is hoping to prove change is possible after turning his life around with the help of mental health groups.
"Then it was I'd do it the weekend and some days during the week. From there it just snowballed until I was doing it everyday. At 18 I racked up my first big debt, I owed £1000 and only had £80 to my name - my family had to pay it for me." The dad was jailed in 2017 over an attempted robbery the previous year which seen him hold up the East Kilbride betting shop with a ten inch knife. No one was hurt during the incident and no cash was taken.
He continued: "I always thought I would die in addiction. But when Turning Point sent out a guy who had spent 20 years addicted to heroin - I started to think change was possible.
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