'I almost lost my leg to addiction - after 24 years I'm now clean'
Charlotte Seamon first started taking drugs when she was 11. She was eventually diagnosed with Hepatitis-C and almost lost her leg
A mum of three has spoken about how drugs nearly killed her. Charlotte Seamon was at one point spending around £3,500 a week on her addiction.
She almost lost a leg and slept in train stations. But after 24 years of addiction, she is now four months clean and has secured a council house for her and her three children.
The mum from Clacton-on-Sea now plans to help other people win their battle against addiction. The 35 year old's battle with drugs dates back to when she was just 11.
She started by smoking weed and then moved onto speed. She told NeedtoKnow: 'I always felt different when I was a child, like there was something missing.
"Drugs were escapism. I was raised by a really good family and I don't come from a broken home but I was searching for something."
By the time she was 19, she started injecting drugs and spent 'around £3,500 a week' on her addiction. Three years later, she was facing a devastating medical emergency, after being diagnosed with Hepatitis C.
She recalled: 'I almost lost my leg because I got blood clots where I was injecting. That's the depths of addiction." Charlotte was in and out of homelessness throughout her adult life - but had three children on the way who all ended up living with her parents. She explained: 'I kept thinking having a child would change or stop me but it didn't.
"I was homeless on and off. I've slept in train stations, behind an Argos and been in dangerous situations. For the last 10 years of my life, I've woken up and wanted to die, but now I want to live.'
In January, Charlotte joined Cocaine Anonymous and listening to people's stories of recovery gave her hope. She is now marking four months clean. Despite never having worked before, Charlotte hopes to work with addicts to help turn other people's lives around. She said: "I never felt right and now I do.
'I want to try and help other people and I want to send the message that we can recover. It is possible to get clean. We think we aren't worth it but we are. Everyone deserves help."
The mum of three has also taken to social media to share her journey. She has a large amount of visual evidence from her years of addiction thanks to her mum.
Charlotte said: 'My mum said she felt like she was grieving. She used to record me and show me the states I would get into. I tried to get clean before but I wasn't ready. I have to pinch myself when I think about how my life has changed.
"I have my own four-bedroom house and my children come and go as they please. I don't have any health problems or mental health issues any more.'
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