A woman who spent years “addicted to cocaine” and would drink up to 30 bottles of booze a night has turned her life around – and says she’s proof anyone can get clean.
Charlene Chandler, now 36, snorted three and a half grams of the Schedule II drug a day for 22 years – as well as smoking cannabis and alcohol.
Growing up in foster care, the mother of four says she used substances as a coping mechanism and her tolerance would continually increase.
She would put up to 30 miniature bottles of vodka and Bacardi – her preference when going to parties.
But she decided to get clean after meeting her fiance, 31 – and turned to her church support group for help.
Now, she is preparing to start her own business alongside getting a third-level diploma in counseling – and is set to marry her fiance on December 23.
She says she wants to “empower” other women – and wants them to “know that your past doesn’t define you”.
Charlene, a small business owner from Portsmouth, Hants., said: “In the care system – I turned to drugs because I couldn’t access mental health services.
“The party started as a bit of fun, it was not an ordinary thing.
“But it soon became too much.
“It went into full-on alcohol and drug abuse – I could drink 30 bottles of alcohol in one night.
“Getting clean was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through. But life is just better – I’m excited for everything ahead.”
Charlene was immediately placed in an incubator after birth and quickly diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS).
She was then cared for at the age of two.
She lived with her grandparents from the age of five to 13 – and was eventually placed back into the care system after her behavior became too “erratic”.
Charlene said: “I was given a care order when I was two.
“I went to live with my grandparents – but I was very rebellious growing up.
“I used to go to parties with older men, stay out all night and as I got older I started taking drugs.
“My nan and grandad just couldn’t cope – so I went back into care at 13.”
Charlene says NAS gave her a dependent personality – which she says put her at a higher risk of falling into substance abuse.
At first, she went to parties, drank alcohol and took drugs recreationally – but by the age of 16 she was dependent on substances to survive.
“My tolerance levels went up,” she said. “The more I had, the more I needed.
“I just got so addicted – I had to deal with my mental health issues.”
At age 13, Charlene was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD), depression, anxiety and emotionally unstable personality disorder.
She was ‘kicked out’ of the care system aged 16 and given a flat in London to live in.
Charlene says she spent the next two decades “partying non-stop” – leaving her unable to hold down a job and her children eventually taken into care.
“I wasn’t ready to be a mother,” she said.
“My mental health got really bad – I was just out, all the time.”
The addiction worsened to the point where Charlene was taking an “eight-ball” (3.5 grams) once a day, smoking cannabis several times a day and drinking 30 bottles of alcohol in the evening.
She met her partner, 31, a landscaper, in 2018 – who encouraged her to eventually get sober.
But by August 2023, Charlene finally managed to stay off the substances.
She added: “It was 2023 when I kicked cannabis and alcohol – 2021 when I stopped taking cocaine.
“I knew I wanted to get off drugs because I was trying to start a new life.
“I even entered a new church and was baptized.
“My church group was my shoulder to cry on, as was my partner.
“Whenever I needed them, they would be there.
“It felt impossible to get away from it, but they helped me get through it, and my spirituality.”
Charlene and her partner are planning a small church wedding for December 23rd.
She is planning to open her own small business, selling candles and cosmetics, in the next month.
“Now I’m living a better life,” she added.
“I have a lot of knowledge of where it went wrong.
“I knew I had to be a better mother to my children.
“I want to help and empower women – and just let them know that your past doesn’t define you, no matter what you’ve been through in life.”
Charlene’s memoir, My Testimony, From Darkness to Light is available for purchase on Amazon.
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