Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

ISSUE NO. 9

April 2025

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Letters

Staying Clean

By

Weena

Weena writes from Junee Correctional Centre NSW.

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My name is Weena and I’m writing from Junee NSW.  

It’s great to read other people’s stories and articles. Also, I find excellent advice and experiences are much the same as my journey throughout prison, in and out.  

I’ve been in and out of prison since 2009–2025, reoffending, doing stupid shit, thinking I’m invincible, like no other.

Since having my first ever grandson nearly 3 years ago now, it’s made me realise that I not only want to change, but I need to do it not only for myself but for my family.

And I want to change more than I have ever in my entire life. This time round, it’s more clear to me that crime and drugs destroyed me. I hurt the small family that I have left, and I’ve lost a lot of friends, neighbours, also my mother and father, also my big bro. I’ve neglected those that are important. Even my own pet.  

I’ve read The Journey of Staying Clean and am reading the best book ever: Tough Love – Tackling Drug Addiction and Seeing Change by Peter Lyndon-James, highly recommended as an excellent read.  

This book has been an eye-opener for me, and reading it really hit home, and it has given me more incentive than ever. I want to stay clean, and I have been off Oxycontin pills for 45 months, and I was addicted to them for 28 of the 48 years of my life.  

I feel smarter and have more knowledge than I have ever had and the drive to keep clean and stay clean.

Being in prison most of the time has had a lot of impact on my lifestyle and it hasn’t been a horrible transformation even though some people say it doesn’t improve their lifestyle, I find it helped me in ways I didn’t think it would.

My name is Weena and I’m writing from Junee NSW.  

It’s great to read other people’s stories and articles. Also, I find excellent advice and experiences are much the same as my journey throughout prison, in and out.  

I’ve been in and out of prison since 2009–2025, reoffending, doing stupid shit, thinking I’m invincible, like no other.

Since having my first ever grandson nearly 3 years ago now, it’s made me realise that I not only want to change, but I need to do it not only for myself but for my family.

And I want to change more than I have ever in my entire life. This time round, it’s more clear to me that crime and drugs destroyed me. I hurt the small family that I have left, and I’ve lost a lot of friends, neighbours, also my mother and father, also my big bro. I’ve neglected those that are important. Even my own pet.  

I’ve read The Journey of Staying Clean and am reading the best book ever: Tough Love – Tackling Drug Addiction and Seeing Change by Peter Lyndon-James, highly recommended as an excellent read.  

This book has been an eye-opener for me, and reading it really hit home, and it has given me more incentive than ever. I want to stay clean, and I have been off Oxycontin pills for 45 months, and I was addicted to them for 28 of the 48 years of my life.  

I feel smarter and have more knowledge than I have ever had and the drive to keep clean and stay clean.

Being in prison most of the time has had a lot of impact on my lifestyle and it hasn’t been a horrible transformation even though some people say it doesn’t improve their lifestyle, I find it helped me in ways I didn’t think it would.

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