"On the mental side, it was constant negative thinking, shying away from people because I wasn't on it," he said. Ocean Snow quickly put Darren's university place in jeopardy, as he and his friends turned to the internet to buy the substance in bulk. "The more we bought the cheaper we got it, the more we took," he explained. "You just spread your student loan over. It wasn't going on books or rent, it was going towards buying Ocean in bulk.
"Everyone is taking it, it doesn't matter if you are living in inner north Belfast or further out. There are no classes in this."
Outsiders could recognise how Darren had changed since taking Ocean Snow, but the young man was still in the dark and could not see the depth of his problem. "I blamed everyone else, but it was me who was changing, getting into mood swings, becoming a different person. "At the time I couldn't see that until I was isolated. "My family tried to get me off it. There was only so much they could do. It was so hard on them. Hard to see my mum crying, it was eating away at them," said Darren.
