Craig is 42 years old and he did not try heroin until he was 35. Craig says that he is a well-known face in the area due to him running the nightclub doors in Kilmarnock for 15 years.

For most of his adult life Craig had kept fit and trained 6 days per week. He started amateur boxing when he was 17 before finally turning professional at 21. Unfortunately Craig’s career ended soon after due to him receiving an injury. However he kept the training up to help him keep fit. He also helped young people to train and for 19 years he kept the sparring up.

Craig is also passionate about helping out local charities. He helped to organise charity boxing events and 3 of these took place for Ayrshire Cancer Support, which helped to raise just under £12,000. He has also helped with another cause close to his heart – ‘Break the Silence’.

Craig explained that his addiction started off after he had become hooked on painkillers for the injury to his arm. At this point in his life he had been using cocaine too much and that had led to him becoming depressed. He was not in a good place due to this as well as the pain from his arm. One of his friends offered him some heroin to help him with the pain and he unfortunately took it, a decision that he truly regrets.

Once his addiction had taken hold, Craig says that he has started to get cut off from his family. He has also taken the decision not to progress any relationship, as he feels that it would not be fair on any partner to expect them to go through his addiction with him. Craig feels really lonely and stated that he has certainly found out who his true friends are now. He has also not been keeping the best and has sustained a few head injuries lately due to him falling over.

Craig’s hopes for the future are:

• To manage to come off his methadone
• To work with teenagers who have behavioural problems
• To work with people who have suffered hardship or addiction