Sheneece Corner-Davies, from Widnes, says she finally got clean after 15 years of addiction after she almost lost custody of her children when she took them on late-night drug runs. The 29-year-old was sent to a family rehabilitation centre as she fought to get clean.
The mum-of-three was taking ketamine, cocaine and alcohol daily. At the height of her addiction, she was “consumed” and even took her children with her on late-night drug runs. It wasn’t until the threat of having them removed from her care entirely that she was able to start the recovery process.
‘Addiction blinded me’
“I didn’t even realise I was an addict – addicts don’t see it,” said Sheneece. “I was using whatever I could get my hands on, every single day. It controlled me completely. I'm so ashamed to admit this, but I did things I never should have done.
“I took my children with me to meet people in the middle of the night, and there were times I left them in the flat on their own so I could go out to meet the dealer, or I’d take them to parties or to my friends’ houses in the middle of the night. Addiction blinded me.
“I couldn’t see anything else, but that is no excuse. It was wrong, and that guilt is exactly what drove me to change. I will never put them at risk again.”
Court and rehab
“Social services took me to court, ready to remove my children, but the judge saw I was a good mum who had struggles and decided to give me a chance, and sent me to rehab. The thought of them being taken away, of them growing up in care as I did, terrified me more than anything.
“That fear is the only reason I walked through the doors of rehab. There were no wake-up calls and no sudden realisation that I was hurting myself or anyone else – the only thing I cared about was not losing my children. My boys are my whole world, even when the addiction made it impossible to show it.”
Sheneece began taking drugs when she was 13 after falling in with the wrong crowd and wanting to fit in. Her habit quickly spiralled into an addiction to cocaine, ketamine and alcohol. By 15, she was committing crimes, harming herself and had been placed in a secure unit.
A fresh start
When social services intervened in 2022, Sheneece faced one final chance: go to rehab and get clean, or face losing her three sons. She realised she liked being sober – and was able to stick to it after leaving the 12-week programme. “It was a fresh start for all of us,” she said.
She added: “I enjoyed being clean, waking up sober and fresh and enjoyed living with my children. I also found Narcotics Anonymous, and I found myself a sponsor. I did my driving lessons, got my car, and my own place.
“Recovery wasn’t a straight line, and I stumbled. I relapsed first on prescription medication, then drinking again in 2023. But something shifted because I realised how far I had come, and what I could lose – and slowly, this time it stuck.”
Sheneece is now one year and five months clean after 15 years of drug abuse – and this month she started college to study Health and Social Care, with the ambition of becoming a social worker. She hopes to use her own experiences of addiction, motherhood and the care system to help other vulnerable young people and families.
“Recovery didn’t start with a change of heart – it started with fear. But fear turned into something real. I’m not just ‘off things’; I’m actually living now. I’m a present mum, and my children are thriving. I want to help other young people and families, especially those in care, because I know what it feels like.
“I’m present for my children, I’m building a life I’m proud of, and I’m turning every hard thing that ever happened to me into something that helps others. I’m proof that you don’t have to start with the right reasons; you just have to start. Progress, not perfection, every single day and one day at a time.”
