A former homeless man has described how he went from daily drug abuse and living in hostels to running his own successful business.
When Aaron McNeilly was 18 he found himself having to leave his home and go to a Belfast City Centre hostel after his life had begun getting out of control due to the legal high Spice.
Over the next couple of years this would get progressively worse while he was also introduced to other drugs and problems living on the street. He says that he was regularly assaulted and robbed, with the "kickings" bringing him to a point where he knew he had to turn his life around.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, the 25-year-old said: "When I was a teenager I started taking a lot of the legal high Spice and it quickly became a big problem in my life.
"When I reached 18 my parents couldn't have the drugs around the other children in the house and I soon ended up in a city centre hostel. At the time I thought that I was free to do whatever I wanted and didn't realise how bad things would get.
"The hostel itself was chaotic and in the end I actually preferred staying on the streets and would hang around at different places around Custom House Square with other people in the same situation. I ended up dabbling in other harder drugs which were a huge part of my life at the time because alcohol was always a bit too expensive.
"During that time I went through some horrendous experiences and was regularly attacked and robbed, both on the streets and in hostels, and I was even sexually assaulted in a hostel I was staying in.
"It was actually after I got a particularly bad kicking when I realised that I needed to change my life and do better for myself. I rang my dad in tears and begged him for his help, promising that I would never touch a drug again and I am so thankful that they gave me one last chance."
During his time on the streets there were some people who looked after Aaron and gave him some hope that he could do better.
He continued: "While I was on the streets there were some people who really had a lot of time for me and their kindness is something I will never forget.
"I had one secondary school teacher who saw me and then would come and visit me every few days to check up on me and make sure I was ok, which really meant a lot.
"Even though I was not living with my parents, they were also there for me if I was ever in trouble and continued to help me a lot. The staff in the hostels were also very caring and supported me through some difficult moments."
Aaron says that after returning to his family he started a course at Belfast Metropolitan College and got himself a job. But most importantly he stayed sober and away from drugs and started to get his life back on track.
He said: "Once I got off the streets I was determined not to do anything that had brought me there in the first place and over the past five years I have not relapsed once.
"I secured a place on a Belfast Met course that I had previously failed, and managed to pass that and got a part time job.
"After a few years of working in supermarkets I felt that there was more that I could be doing and for the past two years I have been running my own vinyl wrapping business that has just grown from strength to strength. I have been fully booked until the end of the year since July, which is really quite incredible.
"My real goal in life though is to try and do something to help others who are currently in the position that I was. I would like to be able to support young people who are living in hostels or on the streets and try and help them get out of that cycle and do more with their lives and I hope that one day I will be able to do that!"
If you would like more information about Aaron's business AM Wrapz, please follow this link.
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