A business reporter has opened up on her addiction to drugs that she believes could have killed her.

Rachel Smart, who covers business for the Inverness Courier, has spoken out about her recovery from addiction and has called on fellow journalists to stop “adding to the stigma” around the issue with the way they cover addicts.

Rachel, who joined the Courier in May 2022, has declined to name the drug to which she was addicted – but says it was “more than alcohol alone”.

She has not used the drug in question since 13 June last year and has also given up alcohol.

In a first-person piece for the Courier about her experience, Rachel wrote: “I spent most of my 20s with an addiction so insidious that if I continued the way I was going, it would have most likely robbed me of the life I am living now and, quite possibly at some point, my life itself.

“I was depressed, had suicidal ideations, and I struggled to cope with everyday tasks. I won’t go into what my drug of choice was, but I think it’s important for you to know that it was more than alcohol alone.

“I have now been sober for nine months – a small milestone to some, but one that I am increasingly proud of myself for with every day that passes.

“Why am I telling you this, you might ask? Because any embarrassment I feel about my recovery is overshadowed by the value my story has in helping others.”

She went on: “The most crippling part of my addiction was the shame. I felt like a constant failure. Every night when I went to bed, I would vow that tomorrow would be the day I would stop.

“I very much wanted to, but the next day would roll around, then the next, and the next… It was overpowering, obsessive and all-encompassing.

“Many of those who don’t suffer from the disease think that using is a choice – in fact an addict does not have the luxury of choice. It’s an illness of the mind and body.

“I came on placement with the Inverness Courier last year from Aberdeen. I had been working in a bar where drugs were rife, and I was stuck. I was offered a job here, and it felt like the solution I was looking for.

“Suddenly I was pulled from a place I can only describe as a personal hell, and someone reached out a hand to guide me to safety. But it wasn’t the miracle cure I had hoped for.

“I continued to use. I couldn’t stop. It turns out when you move, you still take you with you.”

Rachel decided to speak out after attending a meeting with Addiction Counselling Inverness and Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick, saying she wanted to put her “most vulnerable self out there in the hope that someone, even just one person, may find some comfort and a glimmer of hope.

Speaking to HTFP, she said: “The response from readers has blown me away. I was really nervous about putting so much of myself out there, but people have been so kind and encouraging.

“Addiction is still such a taboo topic and I think the media can often add to the stigma which keeps people in a place of fear which stops them reaching out for help.

“The reception I received encouraged me that perhaps we can have more honest conversations about addiction, and maybe together we can change the narrative from punishment and shaming to one of support and understanding.”