Homeless, Addicted & Almost Dead : Crack & Heroin Recovery. School of Rock Bottom 76: Charlotte Seamen

Have you ever walked past someone sleeping rough, visibly unwell, clearly addicted to drugs, and written them off without a second thought? Today, I'm joined by Charlotte Seaman to explore one of most confronting addiction stories you will hear. From heroin and crack addiction to prison, psychosis, sex work, assault and homelessness, Charlotte’s journey shows the brutal reality of severe drug addiction and the possibility of recovery when all hope feels lost. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, trauma, or relapse, this conversation may be the one that unlocks a door. Charlotte was born into a loving home, yet by the age of 11 she was already using drugs and being arrested. At 13, following a sexual assault, her life escalated rapidly into violence, incarceration, and heavy substance use. What followed was an 18-year descent through crack, heroin, injecting, snowballing, repeated prison sentences, homelessness, and eventually a full psychotic breakdown. This episode shows what it really looks like when drugs take everything.Together, Oliver and Charlotte explore the link between childhood trauma and self-medication, how addiction progresses when left untreated, and why mixing stimulants and depressants can become so compelling and so dangerous. Charlotte speaks openly about using heroin then methodone during pregnancy under medical supervision, smoking spice in prison, living on the streets, and the shame and guilt that followed her for years. This is an honest conversation about accountability, consequences, and forgiveness in recovery.Most importantly, this episode is about how Charlotte finally got clean and sober, the role recovery programmes played in saving her life, and what it means to rebuild after nearly two decades lost to addiction. Now over a year clean, Charlotte has become a recovery advocate with more than 100,000 followers online and has been recognised with a High Sheriff Award for turning her life around. Her story challenges stereotypes and offers hope to those who feel they have gone too far to ever come back.This is a difficult but deeply hopeful episode about responsibility and redemption without clichés. If you believe addiction is a moral failing, this conversation may change your mind. If you’re struggling right now, it may remind you that recovery is possible — even after everything has fallen apart. Oliver is an ambassador for Alcohol Change UK, support here - https://tinyurl.com/5dt5773e Thank you to Gavin Sisters for sponsoring this episode! Visit -www.gavinsisters.co.uk use promo code SCHOOLOFROCKBOTTOM for 10% off! Podcasting is an expensive passion. To help me keep going, I'd really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee, thank you! https://buymeacoffee.com/olivermason1Topics -0:00 Trailer & Intro 4:00 A rock bottom moment5:10 Alcohol and drugs from 117:45 Not feeling good enough 8:45 Charlotte goes off the rails 10:30 The aftermath of sexual assault 11:30 Charlotte goes to prison 12:35 Why did Charlotte commit assault and self-forgiveness?16:30 Smoking spice in prison18:00 Escalation to snowballs 20:00 Living on the streets 22:00 Using methadone during pregnancy 25:15 Methadone & Heroin withdrawal 28:30 Unmanageable & powerless 30:30 The internal snap33:00 Addiction leaves me vulnerable 34:00 Why sharing rock bottom moments saves lives!36:15 How Charlotte found recovery 39:00 Are you in recovery if you take Methadone?41:50 The 12 steps saved my life 43:00 Recovery is more powerful than addiction 44:15 Can ANYONE addicted to drugs make it back?!46:30 Abstince from EVERYTHING?!48:15 TikTok is Step 12?49:15 Charlotte wins The Sheriff Award51:45 An emotional but hopeful end Follow Charlotte Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@charlottesrecoveringInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/charlotteseaman11Follow Oliverhttps://linktr.ee/olivermasonWatch/listen here YouTube - https://tinyurl.com/yb54peseApple - https://tinyurl.com/y3n2chk3