A mother-of-five from Stoke-on-Trent has shared how she became addicted to codeine, taking up to 40 pills a day for nine years and spending £6,500 to feed her habit. Terina Moretto, 45, said she relied on the prescription painkiller to “function as a mother” and eventually had to find a dealer when pharmacies could not supply enough.
Addiction began after diagnosis and family losses
Terina first began taking codeine around 2016 after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a condition causing chronic pain, and following the deaths of her mum and brother in the same month. She said the tablets helped with both the pain and the grief she was suffering, but “it soon got out of hand.”
Medical experts warn users to take no more than eight codeine tablets every 24 hours. However, Terina said a pack of 28, which would usually last a month, was gone in days. Her intake crept up from 10 to 12 tablets, then to 20, and eventually to 30 to 40 a day, a level she maintained for about three years.
Turned to a dealer for supply
At the height of her addiction, Terina said she would take 40 pills in one go and was told it was a “miracle” she was still alive. She said: “In the end I had to go to a dealer to source it because the prescriptions just wouldn't cover the amount I needed. I wouldn't space them out over the day either, I would take 40 of them in one go - I should be dead really, it is a miracle I am here.”
She found a dealer on Facebook and had codeine delivered by post, spending around £180 a month for three years. The former support worker said the pills gave her energy and allowed her to drive, shop, and do housework, contrary to the usual sedative effect. She also lost her dad in 2020, adding to the grief from losing three family members in a few years.
Twelve months sober and encouraging others
Terina, who has children aged 29, 28, 18, ten, and three, is now celebrating 12 months of sobriety. She said she woke up one day and decided enough was enough, then reached out for help and was given Espranor with the support of a friend. She experienced withdrawal symptoms similar to those of a heroin addict, including sweating and shaking, but stayed determined.
She said: “I felt trapped and thought there was no way out but if I can do it, anyone can. Now I can be here for the kids. And the extra money to spend on my family has been amazing.”
