A WOMAN who became addicted to prescription drugs is helping to front a national campaign warning others of the dangers.

Rachel Smith was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in 2004 and was given Valium, or diazepam, to cope. In just one month she was addicted, with a week’s prescription lasting only two days. Within six months she was on heroin.

Now she has joined forces with the Family Doctor Association (FDA) to raise awareness of the problem. The group released a study this week which suggests abuse of types of sleeping pills, antidepressants, and painkillers is increasing in the UK.

Miss Smith, of Pound Bank Road, Malvern, said: “I had deep personal issues at the time and I felt I needed something just so I could cope with life and escape reality.

“It only took a month for me to become addicted and before I knew it I was taking 56 tablets in a week. As a direct consequence of that I was soon on heroin.

“It affected everyone around me. I was in a relationship at the time and by the time I came off drugs I had four children. It has emotionally affected them.

“The worrying thing is that no one was monitoring it.”

Eventually, the need for drugs led to the 35-year-old being sent to prison for fraud. She said: “I was put on detox and have been clean since April 27, 2008.

“That was the date my life changed and things are now a lot different.

“I now help at a recovering cafe in Malvern and I am starting an addiction counselling course at Worcester College of Technology in September.”

The problem is already huge in the US, where an estimated 30,000 people died in 2010 from having abused prescription drugs.