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Grieving parents warn of drug danger Devoted family mourns ‘kind, caring, gentle’ son hooked on heroin OCTOBER 2004 A NEWBURY man who died from a suspected heroin overdose on Sunday had just returned from a Thai monastery in a last-ditch bid to cure his addiction. Now the anguished family of Tony Charman has spoken out in the hope that it might make others think twice about the drug. Tony’s parents, Barry and Jane, warned that behind a genteel, middle class façade, they believe Newbury still deserves its tag of “brown town” (brown being street slang for heroin). And, though they praised the efforts of some drug counsellors in the area, they condemned the lack of immediate help available to addicts. Tony Charman, aged 30, who lived at Cromwell Road, Shaw, with his devoted family, was a “kind, caring, gentle soul”. But he struggled with dyslexia and a stutter which ate at his self-esteem. He began taking drugs such as cannabis and amphetamines at the age of 14, but it was not until eight years ago that his family became aware of it. Then, six years ago, he found his drug of choice - heroin. It started him on the path that led to the monastery, made famous by a television documentary, and finally, inexorably, to what his family believe was his drug-induced death in the bath at the home he loved on Sunday. His father Barry, aged 53, who runs his own business, said: “Tony was a lovely lad - kind, caring and liked by everyone. “He was very much a home bird and loved his family. But in some ways he never grew up.” Tragically, it was his love of home that may have contributed to his untimely death. His family believe it was easy for Tony, who returned on Sunday after a month’s gruelling detoxification regime in Thailand, to “score” in Newbury. Barry said: “When he came back my wife said she had never seen him so positive that he had sorted himself out. “He looked fit and well and happy to see us.” But later that evening, around 7.30pm, his family discovered him apparently lifeless in the bath. A syringe was in his clothing. Paramedics battled for about half an hour on the spot to revive him, then took him to Basingstoke’s North Hampshire Hospital. He never recovered and his mother Jane said: “I knew he was dead, really, before they took him from the house. “But the paramedics were wonderful and wouldn’t give up.” An inquest has yet to establish the cause of death, but his family believe Tony couldn’t resist the temptation for “one last hit”. Tony, who had three sisters, worked in the catering trade, getting a job in a Newbury hotel before joining his father in his business. He sought help for his addiction from Turning Point, the Newbury-based substance abuse agency, about three years ago. He was referred on to a prescribing agency which provided the non-injectable heroin substitute methadone.
Family tells of son’s battle with addiction
Jane said: “He had to go every day to collect it and would sometimes have to travel to Reading when places were closed.” Barry said: “It’s difficult to hold down a job like that. And, of course, if you don’t get your medication, you become too ill to work.” Eventually, the family decided with Tony that he should go to the Thamkrabok Monastery in Thailand. In June last year the BBC documentary Constant Craving followed Lambourn addict Simon Scrivener as he suffered the horrific effects of withdrawal at the monastery. Tony followed in his footsteps, aided by the Reading-based charity East West Detox. The Charman family provided his travel and living costs - the treatment itself is free - and Tony left, full of hope, last month. In a poignant e-mail to the monastery before he left, Tony said: “I’ve been to a re-hab centre but it wasn’t any good - six days in and out, no idea what was happening….I’ve been on four different methadone scripts - each time relapsed. “The thing is, the program takes over your life: going to the chemist every day, doctor every other week, counsellor every week - when are you supposed to work? “I am desperate for a new life to get away from the daily grind of scoring.” The family believe Tony did indeed kick his 1.5 gram per day habit, only to relapse as soon as he was back home in Newbury. Barry said: “Newbury has this respectable, middle-class image but heroin is rife. We just don't want the parents of Tony's friends to go through what we've been through.” The Charman family has asked that friends send no flowers but instead make a donation to Turning Point, East West Detox or other relevant charities. East West Detox can be contacted on (0118) 962 3332. Turning Point can be contacted on (01635) 582818 ---oooOooo---
Victim of drugs overdose had hoped for a cure THURSDAY 16 DECEMBER 2004 A NEWBURY man died from a drug overdose on the evening’ he returned home from a Thai monastery where he had hoped to kick his habit. An inquest in Newbury heard on Thursday how Tony Charman, aged 30, was found unconscious in the bath by his mother. In October, the Newbury Weekly News reported on the death of Tony, who lived with his parents at Cromwell Road, Shaw. They described him as “a kind, caring, gentle” son who suffered from low self- esteem but who had fought for years against heroin addiction. At the inquest, Tony’s mother Jane told how he had gone to the monastery which offers a detoxification course, as a last ditch bid to get clean for good. On Sunday, October 17, she said, her son “came home unexpectedly”. Mrs Charman explained that Tony, a trained’ chef, “had a job lined up in Ireland”. She added: “He was very very positive. He showed me this tattoo he had had done with the monastery symbols on it. “He seemed very upbeat and positive about everything.” Tony told her that the tattoo hurt him and said he had been given strong pain-killing tablets in Thailand to treat the discomfort. Tony went upstairs to have a bath, said Mrs Charman, but later she noticed water streaming through the ceiling downstairs. She raced upstairs to find Tony unconscious in the bath. Paramedics rushed him to hospital, but efforts to revive him failed. Tony’s GP, Dr Meg Thomas of St Mary’s Road Surgery in Newbury, said that several attempts had been made to help Tony come off heroin. She said in a statement: “He had problems with his self-esteem and felt guilty about his behaviour.” Pathologist Dr Farwaz Musa gave the cause of death as Tramadol poisoning. He said: “It is a narcotic analgesic for the relief of severe pain, often in terminal disease. “I would be extremely surprised in this country if you were given Tramadol for pain relief for a large tattoo.” A syringe and spoon were found near Tony, and Dr Challand said it was possible he had crushed the tablets up and injected them. Dr Challand added: “My guess is that this was a one-off, quite large dose. Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Anna Burnside said: “I certainly don’t believe he intended to take his own life.” ---oooOooo--- |
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