Fermanagh man opens up about addiction to Class A drugs

A FERMANAGH man who came close to death after years of Class A drug abuse has warned that addiction is ‘everywhere’ as Enniskillen faces what he calls a worsening drugs crisis.
Daniel Wills, originally from Newcastle upon Tyne, moved to Fermanagh in 1987 and attended school in Enniskillen.
It was during those school years that he first began experimenting with drugs – a path that led to serious addiction and a near-fatal experience in Amsterdam.
Now more than a decade clean, Daniel has chosen to speak out following a recent ‘Herald report on the increasing presence of drugs in Enniskillen.
“I’ve been clean and sober for ten years now,” he said. “But I was at a party recently in Enniskillen and there were a lot of people clearly on drugs.
“When you’ve taken them yourself for years, you know the signs – the dancing, the eyes hanging out of their heads. It’s so common now.”
Daniel’s drug use began with cannabis, LSD and ‘magic mushrooms’ in his teens, before escalating to ecstasy, cocaine, speed and heroin in his 20s.
“I would have travelled anywhere for a party and drugs, Portrush, Bangor… wherever. I hated my job, and all I looked forward to was the weekend,” he said. “I even smoked heroin a few times.”
He said drug access in Fermanagh, even three decades ago, was easy, and it’s only become more widespread.
“You could walk into any town or village and someone would offer you something. That was 30 years ago – you can imagine what it’s like now.”
It was during a trip to Amsterdam that Daniel’s drug use nearly killed him.
“I knew something wasn’t right, so I went back to the hotel. I couldn’t breathe, I was vomiting, and then I passed out,” he said.
“It was heroin. After that, I’d stop for a few weeks, but the depression kicked in – I’d hear voices, hallucinate – then another party would come up and I’d get pulled back in.”
Over a decade ‘clean’, Daniel is urging local people to be cautions around drugs. He hopes his experience will serve as a warning to others, especially young people.
“Looking back, I was jetlagged every Monday from not sleeping. I had insomnia, I was depressed. The drugs ripped the stomach out of me. It might have seemed like good craic at the time, but they wore me down mentally.”
Daniel’s warning comes as local support services report a noticeable increase in drug-related issues, particularly among young people.
Chris McMahon from ASCERT, which provides addiction services in Enniskillen, said drug access has become easier than ever.
“Supply has increased thanks to online sources and dealers using messaging apps,” he said. “Even rural areas now have ready access to drugs.”