Abby Johnson, 35, was prescribed the painkiller by her GP after a gastric sleeve operation and was instructed to take two tablets every four hours when required for three weeks
A single mum, who hid her codeine addiction from her family for three years, has revealed how the habit plunged her into £8,000 worth of debt. Abby Johnson, 35, was initially prescribed the painkiller by her GP following a gastric sleeve operation and was told to take two tablets every four hours as needed for three weeks.
She admitted she “got a taste for it” but didn’t struggle to give it up and was prescribed it again six months later after developing gallstones. However, this time around, she found herself instantly unable to quit once her pain eased.
When her NHS prescription ran out, she began experiencing withdrawal symptoms – such as stomach cramps – and started purchasing over-the-counter products containing codeine. Abby, who has no previous history of addiction or drug abuse, quickly spiralled out of control.
Within a few months, she was addicted, eventually visiting a pharmacy daily to get her hands on as many over-the-counter products as she could. At her worst, she was consuming 244 tablets in just two days, splashing out £100 each time on online pharmacy tablets.
She would concoct excuses to explain her ill appearance to her grandparents, rather than revealing the truth. Abby realised she had a problem when the drug no longer gave her a “buzz”, but she was taking it to “survive” from the moment she woke up until she went to bed at night.
The mother-of-two concealed her dependency from everyone except her mum, Sharon, 60. Now 10 months clean, Abby feels “amazing” and has shed all feelings of shame after conquering her habit through a drug and alcohol support service.
Abby, who has stepped back from employment, from Gloucester, said: “I felt so alone in this. My family had no idea.
“I felt like a fraud – lying to people I loved the most. I wasn’t paying the household bills.
“I got myself into £8,000 of debt. I was so ashamed of it. It could happen to anybody.”
Abby, who has two boys aged 13 and 10, opted for a £10,000 gastric sleeve procedure in August 2021 after gaining three stone during lockdown. Doctors prescribed her codeine following the operation.
Abby said: “I got a taste for it straight away. I knew it made me feel good.”
The mum didn’t become dependent initially, but when she resumed taking it for “excruciating” stomach pain in January 2022, she began to lose control. She was diagnosed with gallstones and continued on codeine until her procedure in November 2022.
Abby said: “I was starting to take it when the pain wasn’t there.”
After stopping her prescription, she began experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
She said: “Everything I was eating was coming straight back up. My stomach cramps were horrific. I was tiny. I looked really poorly.”
Abby started visiting the pharmacy daily – rotating between different chemists across her town to avoid being recognised. She would purchase over-the-counter pills when unable to obtain her prescription. When phantom gallbladder pain struck two months post-surgery, she was prescribed codeine once more.
Abby said: “I was taking it for the buzz. It made me feel happy. I would get 224 tablets a month – they would last me two days.”
She’d spend the remaining weeks consuming over-the-counter products or illicit codeine, costing £100 for 100 tablets.
Abby said: “I’d go around every pharmacy in Gloucester and rotate so they didn’t recognise me. There is no system in the UK for pharmacies that monitor how much stuff you’re buying. I’m not blaming anyone for my addiction.”
Eventually, Abby would wake to get her children to school before spending the remainder of the day asleep.
She admitted: “I wasn’t being the mum I wanted to be. I was functioning – that was all I was doing.
“I was there in body, not in mind. It wasn’t giving me a buzz. I was taking it to survive and not be ill – not withdraw.”
Abby arranged an appointment with a drug and alcohol service whilst at work in admin, having run out of money for more tablets. She attended in October 2024 and was prescribed monitored replacement medication called Espranor.
Abby suffered a relapse just two weeks later when her prescriptions overlapped and said she nearly “died” during an overdose. Fortunately, she received a life-saving Naloxone injection to counteract the overdose effects.
Abby said: “I could have died. It scared me so much.”
Abby has remained clean ever since and hopes to be “free” of substitute medication by year’s end. She now has a debt relief order and is rebuilding her life.
Abby said: “I’m grateful to be alive. I’m feeling amazing compared to before. I love cooking tea. I love walking.”
She aims to challenge the stigma surrounding opioids and addiction, sharing her journey on TikTok @wedocomeback.
She has lodged a petition calling for a national database tracking all patients purchasing over-the-counter codeine to enable proper monitoring and prevent misuse.
Abby said: “Know you’re not alone. Know it’s not shameful. There is help out there.”