A woman from Birmingham has shared her harrowing journey from being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at age 16 to a years-long heroin addiction that cost her up to £1,000 a day. Caitlin Atkins, now 32 and a mother of one, says her son ultimately saved her life and gave her the motivation to get clean.
The Start of Addiction
Caitlin was first prescribed tramadol and codeine phosphate to manage pain from PCOS. 'I would pop them like sweets,' she said. 'I had built up such a tolerance that taking the tablets wouldn't even do anything, they'd just make me feel normal.' Within months, she was taking her monthly dose in just two to three days. 'It didn't take me long to start abusing my prescriptions,' she admitted. 'As my painkiller addiction went on, there were times I told lies that I was in some sort of pain. The doctors were becoming aware of the fact I was saying I was losing prescriptions.'
Escalation to Heroin
By 2015, at age 21, her tolerance was so high that she turned to heroin. 'A friend introduced me to heroin but with that heroin use it commonly comes with crack cocaine use,' she explained. 'It was through crack cocaine and heroin I began hanging around with not very nice people. I'd have black eyes and issues with dealers and it was absolute chaos.' She begged family for money and used her benefits to fund the addiction, feeling 'numb and broken.'
Opioid Crisis in the UK
Latest ONS figures show drug poisonings from opiates are up 21% in the last five years. The NHS warns that codeine and tramadol are addictive and should be reviewed. In 2021, the NHS estimated over one million people in England were prescribed opioids for more than three months, risking long-term dependence, physical and mental health issues, or death from accidental overdose.
A Failed Move
In May 2017, Caitlin moved to Lanzarote seeking a better life, but her addiction worsened. She took 56 co-codamol tablets daily, obtained from a private doctor. 'I moved over there to change and better my life. But I came back more addicted to drugs than I was when I left,' she said. In December 2017, her family flew out to bring her home after a hostel worker warned her mother she would die. 'I had to be sedated to come back home. That was probably the most unwell I'd ever been, physically, mentally, and psychologically. It was really scary.'
Motherhood as Motivation
Despite completing a 12-week rehab course in 2021, Caitlin relapsed. But falling pregnant in 2022 changed everything. 'This is a whole life that is going to be impacted by the decisions I make,' she remembered thinking. She hasn't used drugs since. 'My son has saved me in so many ways and it was never his job to save me, he's changed my whole entire life,' she said. 'Being a parent and a mother has been so self-worth building for me and I just love that.'
Hope for Others
Caitlin encourages other addicts to seek help. 'There is a way out and there's hope, seek help and go there.'
