Prepare for a journey like no other. From a happy childhood to a life consumed by addiction, Paul Hannaford takes you through the most horrendous situations from his real-life experiences suffering with this illness. His involvement with gangs, drugs, alcohol, knives and the police are all laid bare within this book, his tell-all account. You only need to read the first chapter “A Day in the Drug Den” to get a true insight into how awful addiction can be. This book was written to awaken its audience. There is a global epidemic happening and it’s only getting worse. Not enough is being done to bring awareness of it’s devastating effects to the minds of our future generations. Drugs, alcoholism and gang crime kill millions of people every year. Fortunately for Paul he made it through the other side, many do not.
I was transformed from a bright, energetic, fun-loving young child to a hollowed-out shell of a person, barely human and living in the most horrendous conditions. I struggled with addiction, an illness that caused untold harm to me, my family and society for over two decades. Now, I want to give something back by sharing insights into my real, lived experiences so that I can show everyone what it is really like to live with this horrific reality.
Why do I want to do this?
Because there are addicts living in your community right now. Without any doubt. Addiction is everywhere and I mean everywhere. It doesn’t discriminate, it doesn’t care how old you are, how smart you are, how much money you have; it doesn’t care about your history, your culture or your beliefs. It will obliterate all of them. It is cunning, powerful and hard to overcome. I know this because addiction has killed so many of the people I knew. And it nearly killed me. My job now is to educate as many people as I can by telling my story. Over the past 10 years I’ve spoken to over 500,000 young people, parents, teachers, medical professionals and the police. In fact, anybody who is concerned about the wellbeing of our society and our future generations. I am clean and sober now, and have been for many years.
My name is Paul Hannaford. This is my story