Eileen McHugh is CEO of Hair Together, which offers barbering and hairstyling training, and a wellness head start to young people. She lives in Dublin with her two daughters
I was involved with drugs in the 1990s. I tried heroin for the first time when I was 15, and I did fifth and sixth year in school fully addicted. Long story short is that I was 29 when I finally got clean.
I grew up in Ballymun and it’s a great community, but it was also pretty bad growing up there then. I feel really sad that the young me slipped through so many cracks for so long. I used to get up in the morning and go over to the blocks to sell a batch of heroin. Then I’d run back home, get into my uniform and go to school. I’d be asleep in school. It makes me sad to think about it now.
