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Andrea was a wealthy, successful, loving mother. At 40, she became addicted to ice

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WIN News Cairns: Walk Against Ice

Dozens of Cairns locals sacrificed their Sunday sleep in, for our city's first Walk Against Ice.
The community event raising awareness of the despicably addictive and destructive drug, which affects on average one in every 70 Australians.

Coffs Coast Advocate: ‘I lost everything’

Reformed ice addict’s warning to youth
3rd September 2019. A former finance worker has revealed the devastating details of his spiral into addiction and hopes it will encourage youth to avoid the drug.

Retrieved from www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au
The Community Ice Action Team, made up of Jose and five other reformed addicts,
has been launched on the Coffs Coast. CEO of the Australian Anti-Ice Campaign
Andrea' Simmons visited Coffs Harbour for the launch. Photo: Kyle Hands Media

AFTER 13-years of ice addiction Jose Porcia had lost everything. He had become homeless between stints in jail, committing petty crimes to support his addiction - a long fall from grace for the university-educated former finance worker. Jose said it was back in 2003 when he had a thriving career in Sydney that a friend had first offered him the drug. The selling point was that it was the drug for "successful people", something the friend claimed would boost the then 33-year-old's creativity and performance at work. But his spiral into addiction was quick, and within two weeks Jose said he was chasing down a dealer. "My career was taken away from me because I tried the drug once. All my education and everything I had learned didn't matter anymore," Jose said. "It took everything away from me one by one, including my family.

Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise

30th August 2019

Photo (from left): Harold Bush (Rotary Club of Broadbeach), Leeanne Butcher, Andrea Simmons, Adrian Crowe.

Picture this: a young, vivacious, successful woman, with a successful business, a loving family. Andrea Simmons outlined in vivid detail how she was partaking in a bit of a knees-up at a swank hotel in town. Lots of good company, banter, laughter. Somebody suggests to her “take a puff of this, it isn’t going to hurt you…” and – literally – her world of success and love goes up in the proverbial puff of smoke. A rapid descent into addiction, psychosis and other major health issues, her wealth destroyed. “I spent as much as $500 a day” she explained, “and I didn’t know any way I could get out”.

That is just one case. Do you know that every day, on average some 27 young people become addicted to “Ice” (Crystal Methamphetamines)? Do you know the method on how to make Ice is in plain sight on the Internet?” Only some 2% come out at the other side; if successful, the withdrawal period is an excruciating 18 months. The Australian market is totally flooded with the stuff: wastewater sampling tests show an increase of as much as 480% in the six years to 2016 and it has gone worse since then. Do you know that kids as young as 12 years old are given “free samples” and then, when they inevitably become addicted, are offered a “franchise distribution”? Do you know that availability is easy? Andrea outlined an instance where, when visiting the Gold Coast, she obtained a “pipe” with great ease, just asking for it.

Read the full article by Franz Huber

Anti-ice movement mobilises in Far North Queensland - Industry Queensland

A new Walk Against Ice event will be held in Cairns as part of the Australian Anti Ice Campaign’s launch into Far North Queensland.

The Combined Rotary Clubs of Cairns and the Cairns Chamber of Commerce have partnered with AAIC for the event.

The Rotary Clubs have also provided direct financial sponsorships towards the cost of AAIC’s High School Anti Ice Education Workshops, which are scheduled to re-commence in Far North Queensland high schools this week.

The workshop presenters are all people like AAIC founder and chief executive officer Andre’a Simmons, who have recovered from methamphetamine (‘ice) addiction.