Women’s Circle – Real Life Stories

My journey with this plant started very young. I was 16, already struggling with serious mental health issues I didn’t understand at the time. I didn’t know I had BPD then — I just knew I felt constantly overwhelmed, unstable, and desperate. I had already survived multiple suicide attempts by that age.

The first time I used cannabis, it was the first time in years that my brain felt quiet. I slept properly. I felt human for a moment. I didn’t understand it then, but I now know it was giving me the regulation and calm I desperately needed. I didn’t touch it again until my early 20s, when I entered a violent, drug-fuelled relationship. I was using heavy substances, and cannabis became a coping mechanism I didn’t yet recognise. When I eventually left that relationship, I became alcohol and drug dependent. My children were involved with social services. I hit rock bottom — and that was the point where I knew something had to change.

I quit everything. I focused on stabilising my life, rebuilding myself, and getting my kids back. During this time, whenever things became too overwhelming, I reached for cannabis instead of alcohol. I knew if I drank again, I’d spiral back into dependency — cannabis kept me grounded enough to keep going. I didn’t have a diagnosis at the time, but looking back, it was the only thing that helped me regulate my emotions. By 29, I was working again, trying to build a normal life. For my 30th birthday I travelled to Amsterdam, still using on and off but beginning to understand that it genuinely supported my wellbeing.

Then, in June 2020 at age 33, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. My world crashed again. I was put on a huge cocktail of medications — 1200mg gabapentin daily, then pregabalin, baclofen, and more. I hit medical burnout. My pain was relentless, my mobility declined, and mentally I just couldn’t cope. In 2021 I finally got answers: I was diagnosed with BPD. That same year, I heard about medical cannabis through Curaleaf (which was Aspire at the time). That was the moment everything changed. I began treatment for both pain and mental health, and for the first time in years, things started to improve: My mobility improved, My sleep became consistent ,My pain became manageable ,My BPD symptoms stabilised ,My self-harm reduced My suicidal ideation reduced drastically. I came off 11 daily pharmaceutical medications.

Today, I only take my mental health meds and my MS infusions. The rest is managed through the plant. Medical cannabis has been the lifeline I didn’t know I needed. It gave me back control, stability, and a quality of life I genuinely thought I’d lost forever. I’ve now been a medical patient for 4 years, and I’ve never looked back. will always speak honestly about how much this has helped me, because people like me — people who are struggling, scared, overwhelmed, undiagnosed, or fighting systems — deserve to know there is hope.

Thank you for creating a safe space for patients to share their realities.

If my story helps even one person feel seen, it’s worth telling.