'Heroin was a way to forget everything...'

He looked at the dirty, urine-soaked carpet he was lying on and moaned, before another wave of nausea washed over him and he was gripped with crippling stomach cramps as he soiled his pants yet again.

He had been sharing a flat with his friend - also a heroin addict - for three months, taking it in turns to buy drugs when they had the money.

But after two days, with no money to buy the drug, the withdrawal symptoms had kicked in.

Sobbing, Simon lunged towards a packet of cigarette papers on a nearby table, but in his haste, sent them fluttering towards the floor.

And that's when he saw it. A small parcel of heroin, tucked away on the table.

He says it was at that moment, that he decided he had to change his life and kick the habit.

"It was like a switch going off in my head. I was furious. I had been in that flat for two days, with my supposed mate, who had watched me suffer because I couldn't afford to buy any gear.

"And all the time he had had something that could have made me 'better'. I was filled with rage. I realised then that I couldn't carry on like I was.

"I've worked all my life, and when I didn't work, I didn't take heroin because I couldn't afford it.

"There's a big difference between a smack-head, who is a heroin addict, and a smack-rat who is a heroin addict who robs, steals and commits other crime to fund their habit.

"I was a smack-head, but I've never been a smack-rat. I've never stolen anything to buy drugs."

He says that since turning his back on drugs and seeking help from a charity, he's realised that it was witnessing his grandmother's death, when he was just nine years old, that sparked depression that later prompted him to seek solace, first in cannabis and later heroin.

"Heroin was a way to forget everything. To bury my head in the sand and not deal with reality.

"It's been a long journey, and I have relapsed. I had some heroin last month, when my friend died of an overdose, but I'm stronger now. I'm finally making plans for the future. I've had enough of death.

"No-one's a winner when it comes to drugs. It destroys your life. I've known too many people die, lose their arm through injecting, or their leg. It's a horrible way of life. And not only do other people hate you, you hate yourself. You think of yourself as pathetic, the lowest of the low, and then you want to bury your head in the sand and take more heroin.

"It might sound terrible, but when you're on heroin, your own mother could die in front of you and you wouldn't care. All you care about is your next fix.

"And it's everyone's problem. If you've got a house, car or something nice, you should be worried. There are people out there, on heroin, who want what you've got. They want to steal it, sell it on and use the money to buy drugs.

"The key is education because if my story puts off one person from touching drugs, then that's one less person who's been through the hell I've been through."

Det Chief Insp Martin Lakeman, of Worcester police, said that the city had no bigger drugs problem than any other city and warned anyone dealing heroin, crack or cocaine to expect a call from the police.

"Heroin and crack are available in Worcester, like any other city," said Mr Lakeman,

"However, I need to reassure the communities that we continue to proactively target those dealing in drugs, with a particular emphasis on Class A drugs, namely heroin, crack and cocaine.

"We develop intelligence from a broad range of sources, including information from the public.

"Part of our approach involves executing search warrants and, during this, we have had notable success and seized sizeable amounts of both heroin and crack cocaine.

"My simple message to those who continue to deal in drugs is that you are very much a priority for us and it's only a matter of time before you become our next success."

He urged anyone with any information about drug dealing to contact police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Callers can remain anonymous.

A hard-hitting campaign

ORGANISERS hope the hard-hitting drugs campaign will make teenagers think twice before being tempted to experiment.

TACKLE - Take Action to Curb the Killer - was launched by St Paul's Hostel, in Tallow Hill, Worcester, this week, and over the following weeks 25,000 hand-held drugs awareness cards will be distributed to schools and parents in Worcester in a bid to highlight how their children are at risk.

Statistics from coroners' courts show that in 2001, there were more drug-related deaths in Worcestershire than in Birmingham. Eighteen drug-users died in Worcestershire that year - that's 4.12 deaths per 100,000 of the population compared to Birmingham's 3.93 deaths per 100,000.

Terri Preece, projector director at St Paul's Hostel for the Homeless, who organised TACKLE, said she hoped the campaign would help save lives.

"These leaflets will be useful to anyone who is worried or concerned about drugs.

"In the last three years alone, we have seen an increase in heroin abusers at St Paul's although there is strictly no drug-taking allowed on the premises.

"If, by distributing these leaflets, we save one or two lives, or prevent just one person from falling into a life of crime through drug addiction, then the whole exercise will have been worthwhile."

How can you get hold of a tackle card?

The bright yellow cards will also be available from the Evening News office in Hylton Road, Worcester Police Station in Castle Street, St Paul's Hostel in Tallow Hill, the Community Drugs Team in Fish Street, and in this week's edition of the Worcester Standard.