<p>
	Aaron Kinney, 16, is urging other youngsters not to repeat his mistakes</p>
<p>
	An Irish teenager who started smoking cannabis aged 12 is warning others not to use drugs as a coping mechanism.</p>
<p>
	Aaron Kinney, 16, was left feeling paranoid to leave his house after smoking 15 joints a day.</p>
<p>
	He has now kicked the habit and turned his life around.&nbsp; He has made a film with young people&rsquo;s charity Fixers to show the effects the drug had on his life as a warning to others to &ldquo;get out of the fog&rdquo; and &ldquo;lose the smoke&rdquo;.</p>
<p>
	Aaron began using cannabis recreationally until a personal tragedy saw him smoking more.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;My uncle died and I couldn&rsquo;t cope. He was taking heroin and it killed him. We were really close and I was devastated,&rdquo; he explained.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Because I was so young I didn&rsquo;t know about his addiction. I only found out a few years later when I started asking questions. It was hard to deal with.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;I missed him and couldn&rsquo;t seem to talk to anyone so I smoked to make myself happy. As I got older my depression got worse, so I smoked more.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	Aaron found himself using larger amounts to get the same high.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;It got to a point where I would be smoking 15 joints every day around the age of 15. I felt my mind slipping away from me,&rdquo; Aaron recalled.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;I never wanted to go out, because I was feeling so anxious and paranoid all the time. I just wanted to stay in and smoke and I would spend weeks at a time indoors.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;All my money was going to buy smoke so I never had any cash, but the cycle meant I needed to find some to buy more weed and that sometimes meant taking my mum&rsquo;s money and doing other things I&rsquo;m not proud of.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	He added: &ldquo;I fell out with my family because of the things I was doing and I was failing at school.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	&lsquo;I didn&rsquo;t like who I was anymore.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	He says the turning point came when the police got involved when he was 15. He then got help from a doctor, was referred for counselling and was able to use a self-help service for drug addiction.</p>
<p>
	Since quitting cannabis, Aaron said he has noticed positive changes and will be starting a hairdressing course at college in September next year.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a lot happier now. I&rsquo;ve got new friends now who don&rsquo;t smoke or do drugs, and I&rsquo;m dealing with my issues,&rdquo; Aaron commented.</p>
<p>
	Fixers works with young people aged 16-25 across the UK by providing them with resources to help them campaign on issues they feel strongly about.</p>
<p>
	The charity has helped more than 19,000 youngsters across the UK to have a voice in their community on issues such as cyber-bullying, self-harm, suicide or transphobia.</p>
<p>
	&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	(Published by the Irish Independent on the 20th September 2016)</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/life/family/family-features/irish-teenager-who-previously-smoked-15-cannabis-joints-a-day-now-in-campaign-against-drugs-35064742.html">http://www.independent.ie/life/family/family-features/irish-teenager-who-previously-smoked-15-cannabis-joints-a-day-now-in-campaign-against-drugs-35064742.html</a></p>
