Drug addiction: Princess of Wales' work hailed by ex-user

Cullan now hosts a podcast covering topical issues from sport to life after prison

A former heroin addict turned podcaster has welcomed the Princess of Wales' campaign to help drug abusers.

Cullan Mais started smoking cannabis at 17, and this led to heroin, to which he remained addicted for 12 years.

He said: "This is an illness. It's the same with any illness, we can't be outcasting people who use drugs".

The 31-year-old from Cardiff said society had "created a monster" by stigmatising a situation where addicts were only ever seen as criminals.

He also believed there was a lack of voices from those struggling with addiction and others in recovery, and hearing more experiences would break down stereotypes.

• None of us immune to addiction, warns duchess

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As a former drugs runner, he said most of the people who bought from him were "normal".

"These people had the chains on, the nice clothes. They had the teeth.

"They had jobs, they had family. They had the money. They were normal people."

This in turn made him feel there was less risk of him being left "homeless with no teeth, no family no nothing", as others seemed to be coping.

"I know this was not a choice. Recovery is possible," the princess told addicts in a video message on Sunday

He added: "When I was running drugs I didn't make any money out it. I was a little gopher. I would sell to accountants, salon owners, I would sell to school teachers.

"You would be surprised, it's unbelievable. Addiction has no boundaries. It has no prejudice. It will go through everyone."

'Wrong place, wrong time'

Cullan began experimenting with drugs due to his poor mental health leading him to try cannabis.

He later went on crack cocaine and heroin because he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" and influenced by people he was spending time with who both dealt and took drugs.

"I lost my social circle of friends and family.

"I tried to live a normal life while being addicted to drugs. It was very hard, it was very hectic. There was months on end when I would be on a shoplifting spree and in and out of prison.

"But there times when I tried to co-exist with drugs and a normal life."

Speaking of the princess's campaign which launched on Sunday he said: "Any publicity is good publicity.

"My natural reaction was 'why is she doing this?' With my journey - while I was on drugs - I was always looking to be inspired.

"I've never looked at Kate Middleton to see what she said on Twitter about drug addiction.

'Mask the pain'

"But if she's a powerful person in a high place and she can make that change I'm with her," he said.

The campaign also encourages more addicts to overcome their shame and seek help, something he experienced, and he also sees in his role as a lead service user in drugs services.

"Most people don't make that jump of trying to get off drugs because of the stigma. Once you've done something wrong, how hard is it to be forgiven?

"If we do something bad we have our people to forgive us.

"When you've been addicted for so long, it sticks, it does stick.

"And what do we do when people call us drug addicts? We take more drugs to mask the pain of people labelling us.

The turning point for Cullan - pictured here when he was addicted - was being asked to use a new alternative to methadone on trial

"So when you come off drugs which has such a hard label what are you going to do when you're sober?"

He now plans to watch Catherine's future work with interest.

"Is she going to have stigma challenge? Is she going to sit in a room with 20 addicts waiting for their methadone script (prescription)?

"Or is she going to feel uncomfortable with that? That's stigmatising right there."

• 'I was making money, but had no money'

Cullan has been in recovery for two years, with the turning point when he was given an offer to trial Buvidal, an alternative drug to methadone.

Cullan was in and out of rehab and spells in prison for 12 years

"I think the reason why I never went back this time was because of the confidence, the trust, the responsibility I was given by the drugs services I work for.

"Without Kaleidoscope (the drugs charity) I never would have been able to work, or never thought I could. My criminal record is that thick with shoplifting but they gave me that opportunity."

'Health anxiety through the roof'

Although he now has a richer life - in terms of his happiness, podcast career and drugs support work, he has health issues.

"I try to paint a picture of my life right now. People say to me all the time, 'You're smashing it, you're doing well'.

"I will never glamorise addiction but we do need to normalise it," says Cullan

"But they don't realise my health anxiety is through the roof. I self-diagnose myself every single day. I've never had a headache after getting onto heroin, 18 years old.

"I never had a headache, a bad back. I masked it with opiates.

"Now I go through pain, my chest is ruined, I'm always wheezy in the night.

"I've done a lot of damage to my insides. I will never glamorise addiction but we do need to normalise it."