At a young age, Frank left a violent family home to enter Melbourne's bikie scene, discovering along the way that heroin enabled him to thrive in a hostile environment.

The criminal lifestyle offered a steady supply of his drug of choice but eventually wore him down, setting him on a 10-year path to recovery.

Frank reflects on his past with honesty, humour and insight - qualities that shape his present life, which includes being a peer worker at Windana.     

The address that Frank gives at the end is for the Windana Therapeutic Community, located at 254 Snell Rd, Maryknoll.

This episode contains swearing, as well as descriptions of violence and drug use that some listeners may find distressing. 24/7 help for AOD users is provided by Directline at 1800 888 236, and for their loved ones by Family Drug Help at 1300 660 068. 

Straight From the Source presents the real-life stories of people affected by alcohol and other drugs. 

The show is brought to you by the Association of Participating Service Users (APSU), which is a service of the Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC). APSU is a Victorian consumer body that believes the voices of people with lived experience of AOD issues should be heard and incorporated into service design and delivery. 

The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of APSU or SHARC. Names and identifying details may have been changed for privacy reasons.

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