Madison Wellington, now 23, ended up almost ‘brain dead’ after being invited to a party and now suffers from health issues due to her past ‘alcohol and substance’ abuse
An 11-year-old girl nearly died after downing 20 shots of alcohol and taking drugs just so she could appear ‘cool’ in front of teenagers.
Madison Wellington, now 23, is sharing her experience as a schoolgirl to help make parents aware and put off young girls from trying to grow up too fast. She said she began hanging about with older kids – aged between 14 and 17 – while playing on her estate in Gosport, Hampshire.
The youngster soon started smoking and causing “havoc” with her new friendship group. But not long after starting year seven in high school, Madison was invited to a year 11 party and felt desperate to go and “prove herself”.
Shockingly, she ended up drinking 15 to 20 shots – vodka and Cactus Jack – while there before the night became blurry. Madison remembers trying a drug which she thinks was methadone and being given a CD case with the remnants on it that she “wiped on her gums”.
The next thing she remembers is falling down a flight of stairs before then waking up in hospital after being put in a induced coma. Madison was told she “nearly died” and hopes to warn parents and teenagers of “wanting to act like grown ups before their age”.
Madison, from Croydon in London, explained: “I turned up and thought ‘now I’m a bit nervous.’ How am I going to make people think I’m cool?”
“They were trying to intimate me. They said ‘if you’re one of us drink these’ and offered an array of shots. I did 15 to 20. From here it gets really blurry.”
“I woke up at the bottom of the stairs – I can’t remember if I threw myself or fell. I was in a critical condition. I remember waking up in hospital and being told you nearly died.
“I didn’t fully blame myself – I was a child but I was fully aware of my decision. I told myself there’s nothing cool, big or clever about what you’ve done.”
Madison, who now runs a property sales business, started associating herself with older children when she was just 11. She said: “When I first started interacting with them I couldn’t believe it.
“I thought it was so pivotal – I was so young. They didn’t look at me like a little girl. For them to see me how I saw me was liberating. We’d meet up smoke and cause havoc and do it all the next day.”
After four months of hanging out with her new friendship group, Madison had the opportunity to go to a house party.
She lied to her mum about her whereabouts – telling her she was staying with a friend – and managed to get an invite.
Madison said: “I remember being so excited to be going this party. I thought I’m going to go to school and tell my friends. I would be able to say I went to a year 11 college party. I was thinking about my reputation.”
She remembers dancing and trying drugs, ending up being “out of it.” Madison was rushed to hospital when a neighbour found her – and she was put into an induced coma where she stayed for around 12 hours.
The schoolgirl had her stomach pumped and spend two days recovering after coming round. Madison was told she was lucky she didn’t have any permanent damage. She said: “My mum was told they didn’t think I was going to wake up.
“Her world came crashing down. They said to my mum I could be brain dead.” Despite the “reality check” Madison went through another “rebellious” streak at aged 14.
She said: “I struggled with my mental health a lot and I’d drink a lot. I was just trying to grow up way before my time but for no reason.
“In one night I’d have vodka, Echo Falls, Cactus Jack and sometimes I’d use wine as a mixer. It was every weekend or every other weekend.”
Madison was able to get help aged 15 after visiting family in Vancouver, Canada, where she “couldn’t be distracted by the reality of life” and now drinks for “pleasure” rather than for “escapism”. But she has started to seen the health impacts from her binging – and now has a weak immune system and large red blood cells.
It can be caused when drinking too much prevents your body from absorbing the nutrients needed to make healthy red blood cells. Madison said: “I wish I’d taken a bit more time being careful than hurting myself.
“Because of my heavy relationship with it [alcohol and substance abuse] my health isn’t the best. My immune system is super weak – I get super ill quite quickly.”
She added: “I remember being 14 and not looking or acting how a 14-year-old should. Now it’s a different level the way kids act.
“The amount of young girls who have said how recently they’ve gone through something like I did – it’s petrifying. People want to act like gown ups before their age. You’re robbing yourself of so much experience. Being young is such a gift – it’s so precious.
“It’s super important to build a relationship with your child where you can be open and transparent with each other because you never know what’s going on behind the scenes and behind the screens of their phones – especially in this day and age.
“My mother had no idea the young girl I was becoming outside of the house because she trusted in who I was as a child instead of who I was growing to be. Know your child well.”
Madison is now an aspiring artist and hopes to share her story through her music on TikTok.