A woman who was hooked on £1.25 camping gas, buying up to 12 cans a day, ripped all of her teeth out after the habit led to severe toothache. Sarah Clarke, 38, started using butane, used for portable cooking stoves and some cigarette lighters, as a recreational drug at age 14, and by 18 she was hooked.
No one stopped her buying
The homemaker, from Leicester, said that no shop owner ever questioned her about her purchases, despite it being illegal to sell the gas to anyone under 18. After inhaling the gas every day for 15 years, Sarah was able to kick her habit in 2022, as it was her mum's dying wish.
She has irreversible health issues, including nerve damage and early-onset Parkinson's. Sarah is calling for tighter restrictions on the sale of butane gas. She said: "The first time I did it, I felt like it numbed everything that was going on in my life. I could go to the shops and easily buy 12 cans at age 15; no one would stop me.
Cheap and easy to buy
"I don't understand why it's still so easy and cheap to buy. I'm 38, but I look 78; the damage I've done to myself is irreversible."
Sarah was first introduced to butane gas at age 14 by one of her friends, who was experimenting after finding a canister of the flammable gas in their parents' home. Sarah continued to experiment by using the gas with friends every now and again until she was 16, and she started to lean on the drug and use it on her own. She would go to the local corner shop and buy 8 to 10 cans for £1.25 each.
Health problems and recovery
One can would last Sarah around an hour, and she would immediately move on to the next one. She would hide the empty cans in the bottom of her wardrobe, some of which were discovered by her mum. "She was so shocked when she found them, but she just thought I was experimenting with friends; she had no idea how bad it was", Sarah said.
By the age of 18, Sarah was getting through up to 12 cans of butane gas per day, and wouldn't leave the house at all, except to go to the shops to get more of the drug. Sarah's drug misuse has caused a variety of health problems, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung condition which makes it difficult to breathe, as airways are damaged. She also suffers from early-onset Parkinson's, nerve damage, and memory loss, and is constantly falling over and injuring herself, as she has a complete lack of balance.
"I'm on 11 different medications for a 38-year-old; that's shocking", she said. "I struggle to eat proper food because I can't get it down my throat."
In 2022, Sarah suffered from a severe toothache due to the effects of her butane gas misuse. As she couldn't get an appointment at the dentist, she leaned on butane gas even more to numb the pain and eventually ended up ripping all of her own teeth out to stop the aching. Sarah now has no teeth at all and is waiting for a set of false teeth on the NHS.
Mum's dying wish
In March 2022, Sarah lost her mum, and her dying wish was for Sarah to stop using butane gas. Seeing her mum lying on her deathbed, she had an epiphany and decided to go completely cold turkey. "I know they say that's not advisable, but it's worked so far, and it's been almost four years now", she said.
Sarah's grief helped her to stay distracted from her withdrawal, as did focusing on tasks such as cleaning the house and taking her dog for a walk, but she struggled to find any support to guide her through her recovery. "You just need a bit of courage, and if you want to do it, you will do it, but there is no help out there", she said. "There are no forums or anything. I've tried looking for a case similar to mine, but I can't find anything."
