AFTER overcoming drug addiction, Tina Gunter returned to Fresh Start Northam, the place where her recovery process started, with the goal of inspiring young people with her story.
Dropping out of school aged 15, Tina found herself addicted to prescription medications and heroin.
For the next 10 years, Tina was caught up in drugs, was a wanted criminal and even spent time in jail.
“I had very low self-esteem,” she said.
“I didn’t know who my real friends were, I had no goals or visions and I now know that’s one of the things that I really want to instil in young people.
“People without vision, they perish.
“Looking back at my friends, they were doing drugs and dropping out of school.
“This lifestyle appeared very normal at the time.”
After being released from police custody one evening and standing at Perth train station, Tina had two choices.
One train could take her to her drug dealer and another train to her parents.
“I was using heroin for five years and looked at my life when I was 25 and I said ‘I can’t do this anymore’.
“However the addiction was so strong, in my head and in my heart, co-dependent on the friends I was hanging around with, I couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.
“However I knew doing the same thing over again and expecting the same result is the definition of insanity and that’s what Albert Einstein said.”
The decision Tina made that night set her on the course of recovery and into a career of a recognised speaker at conferences, community events, high schools and youth programs.
Tina’s remarkable transformation and work with young people was highlighted when she was inducted into the inaugural International Women’s Day Hall of Fame (WA) last year.
“It is humbling to be inducted into the hall of fame,” she said.
“I was standing on the platform with 99 other women from the last 100 years.
“It is a pretty big deal, I cried my eyes out when they called me and told me.
“I needed help, so I wanted to return the favour.
“Drug addiction is such a selfish way of living, I want to look outside myself and help others.”
Tina emphasised the importance of making the correct choices in everyday life.
“The first time you say no is the hardest,” she said.
“Every time after that it gets easier.
“My life is amazing now and for me to compromise and use drugs, it’s giving myself second best.
“I want the best from life and each of us deserves that.”
Tina said that the work at Fresh Start would be impacted at the end the year with the federal government cutting its funding for counsellors.
“This good work that we’re doing is going to be diminished because of lack of funding, so if there’s anyone who wants to help Fresh Start, contact us,” she concluded.
