Families of addicts in Llanelli offered

The aunt of a Llanelli teenager killed by a heroin overdose said the death of Amy Winehouse has brought back memories of her niece's addiction battle.

Lisa Moore was speaking ahead of the launch of a support group for family and friends of drink and drug addicts in the town.
Hannah Meredith died shortly before her 18th birthday.
Her family later released a letter she wrote just three weeks before in which she vowed to give up heroin.
It was published by several national newspapers and led to the setting up of the Hannah Meredith Foundation.
Monday will see the official launch of the foundation's support group in the town.
Ms Moore said she was sat with Hannah's mother Louise on Saturday afternoon when they heard Grammy award winning singer Winehouse, 27, had died.

Hannah Meredith's letter

Dear heroin,
I never want to touch you ever again. You've ruined my life, made me steal from my family, on probation 'cause of you. Why I choose you I don't know? You're the worst thing that ever came into my life. Yes, I did love you but now it's time to say goodbye. I'm so ashamed of myself 'cause of you. I OD'd three times, you're a big risk to anyone that does it and to me. So I'm going to be strong and stay away from you and never touch you again.
My family have supported me all the way but I just kick them up the backside taking advantage of them. Stole off my mother, granddad, mam I borrowed money off her and didn't give it back. She's getting old now, and look what you've made me do, my nan - £120 stolen off her, once again 'cause of you. I love my family from the bottom of my heart, it's not nice being called a junkie. It feels horrible, you feel so small. Well I feel small, you made me feel like I'm worth nothing, just a dirty junkie sticking needles in my arms.
You're out of my life now, don't need you no more. Yeah, you've messed up nearly two and a half years of my life but I've still got my whole life ahead of me and I'm going to prove to everyone that I can stay away from you, going to college, getting a job and a car.
Then get on with my life and get my family's trust back. Stop offending, that's the only reason I was doing all that 'cause of your dirty addiction. You make me sick to be honest with you. I did love the buzz of you but you're not worth it. But not anymore, I'll make sure you stay away from me, and I'll stay away from you. I was brought up by a good family not a bad one, yeah I've had a lot of problems in my life, been quite bad actually, all because of you!!
You're a killer, you've killed a lot of people and really they are good people. I'm lucky that you haven't put me in a box cemetery. Lost loads of my mates and it hurts me, they sometimes blank me 'cause they know I've been on you it's not nice when I've got pin holes in my arms and marks, track marks. The illness that I go through when I use you and the after effects, cold turkey, clucking, withdrawals, it's the worst feeling that you've put me through, being bad off you.
Wanted to kill myself a few times 'cause I couldn't go through it. Well guess what heroin, I can and did do it. I can beat you anytime. I can control you, you don't control me. I've got enough will power to get you out of my life for good. I'm strong and much stronger than you can ever be. I'm not losing anything over you.
Goodbye heroin. Never again. Family comes first.
Hannah Meredith 2009

Although a post-mortem examination did not find a cause of death, Winehouse had struggled with drink and drug addiction for many years.

Ms Moore said the news brought memories of Hannah flooding back and reading tributes from her family and friends reminded her of her niece's death in 2009.
She said Hannah's family were determined something positive should come from the teenager's death and that is why they were starting the support group.
"It will be somewhere where people can share their experiences privately, learn coping strategies from each other and provide practical support," she said.
"I have spoken to many families since Hannah died and a lot of families feel helpless. They suffer in silence because of stigma and ignorance and a lot of them lose themselves along the way."
Ms Moore said it would also offer support to families who had lost loved ones to drink or drugs.
"We waited three months for the inquest and no-one sat us down and prepared us for when the coroner read out how much her heart weighed or how much heroin was in her system. It's just one example," she added.
Twice while Hannah was trying to quit heroin she went to live with Ms Moore, who had a house in London at the time, to escape her fellow addicts in Llanelli.
"Once she came she was less than six stone - a bag of bones with tract marks down both arms," she said.
"When she came off heroin you could not believe the transformation in her.
"She applied to college and wanted to become a drugs counsellor to steer other young people away from drugs."
Just weeks before she died Hannah had written a letter about how she was determined to quit heroin.
"She read to her mother and she was just proud," said Ms Moore.
Following the teenager's death her family took the tough decision to release the letter in the hope that it would help others.
Ms Moore said the support group was the next step in their efforts to honour her memory.
Local politicians, drug workers and author Elizabeth Burton-Phillips who wrote a book her twin sons' battle against heroin, will be attending the launch at the Trinity Music School in Llanelli's West End.
The group will then meet in private every Monday evening at the venue at 1900 BST.

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