8 Years On - Doc on One

"When you hope for a happy ending, you think it is just a fantasy. You never believe it is going to happen. You believe you are destined to die, because you lose the will to live" - Lynda Barton Lynda Barton was born in Ballymun in the late 1960's and first experimented with drugs at the age of 13. In 1981, she fell pregnant with her first child, Derek and by 15, became fully addicted to heroin whilst living alone, on the streets of Dublin. In 1986, Lynda gave birth to her second child, Christopher and as a result of her addiction the baby was born a heroin addict. Christopher was forced through detox and, in 1987, Lynda lost full custody of him. With no other options, Lynda decided to leave Dublin and live in Manchester with Derek. While Christopher remained in Ireland with his father and with Derek in foster care, Lynda was now free to lose self-control. As time passed, her condition became progressively worse - and it almost saw the end of her life on more than one occasion. However, in 2001 Lynda checked herself into a rehabilitation centre and began her road to recovery. Meanwhile, for Christopher, 6 months had gone by without any contact from his mother and he was anxiously awaiting news of her progress. Just as Christopher was about to give up hope, he received a letter letting him know she was ok. For the first time in their whole life, Lynda and Christopher now had a real chance to bond with another and try to make up for lost time. Over the last eight years, Lynda has fully overcome all forms of drug abuse and built a loving relationship with her children. Last year, Lynda graduated from Manchester University with a Master's Degree in Counselling. In June 2009, the week of Lynda's 42nd birthday and 8th anniversary free from drugs, Christopher travelled to Manchester to document his Mum's past and road to recovery.