'I took what I thought was an MDMA pill at a Christmas party and it nearly killed me'
A woman, who is now three years sober, was handed a pill at a Christmas party that contained fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, which nearly killed her
Lindsey Ford, a mother of four, was on RTE's Liveline recently to talk to Patrick Kielty and listeners about her heavy drug addiction as she completed her third year sober.
Lindsey said that the Christmas period can be especially triggering for an ex-drug addict because everyone is in the celebrating mood, going to parties and drinking and taking drugs.
Christmas time is especially triggering for Lindsey because she had a near-fatal experience at a previous Christmas party that ended up with someone having to preform CPR on her until paramedics arrived.
She told Patrick on Liveline that she doesn't go out as much during this time and stays home to spend time with her family and children instead.
The young mother said that when she talks about her story now it's as if she's talking about a different person.
"Now I've four healthy kids and I'm about to get married to the love of my life on New year's Eve!".
Lindsey began her story and said that she took her first ecstasy pill on a night out for her 15th birthday. This started her heavy addiction to pills that eventually led her to taking 60 pills a day at one point.
The woman, because of the trauma of losing her mam and dad when she was young, turned to addiction to cope with grief.
In 2018, Lindsey had a very serious drug overdose at a Christmas party. The woman thought she was taking MDMA but it actually ended up being a synthetic opioid called fentanyl which nearly killed her.
"I can't stress how dangerous this is....the amount that I took was absolutely tiny," the woman said emotionally. "Thank God there was somebody in the house at the time who noticed me asleep on the couch and thought I didn't look right and gave me CPR for 40 minutes".
"That was very a nearly different Christmas for my kids you know.....it would of ruined their Christmas' forever".
The woman said that there isn't enough support for mothers with addiction who are afraid to go into treatment because of the fear of losing or leaving their children.
"It's pot luck...you're really playing Russian roulette with your life....I thought it was fun and sociable....I did not think I'd be lying on the floor at 33 with an ambulance for me".