Teenage alcoholic died from drug overdose

12 April 2012

The girl who became the "face" of teenage alcoholism was found dead in her flat after taking a heroin overdose.

Sinead Garvey was 13 when she became an alcoholic, downing up to six litres of cider a day. In rehab at 18, she appeared in a documentary about her battle to reform her life. But, unable to beat her addictions, she was found dead aged 24 at her Deptford flat in March.

At Southwark coroner's court today, an inquest recorded a verdict of death by misuse of drugs.

During the inquest her mother Susan said: "The last 10 years she had problems. She would fall out with me and stay away for a while but she would always come back.

"She got a flat and I didn't like the sort of people she was hanging around with. She got herself deeper and deeper into trouble"

Miss Garvey had attempted suicide several times, but her mother said someone who had seen her days before her death said she had been in "good spirits".

They had not been speaking in the weeks leading up to Miss Garvey's death and her mother said she turned her away days before her body was found on March 3.

She said: "She had problems at that time and I wish I had talked to her about them. I should have helped her then but that is something I have to live with. Her biggest demon was the alcohol and she had been into rehab."

Police broke into Miss Garvey's flat after her boyfriend, Dylan Jones, had called them concerned that he had not seen or heard from her in three days.

Coroner Gale Elliman said: "There is no evidence that she intended her death and no evidence that this was a suicide attempt. Sadly Sinead was a long time drug user and this time it appears it went wrong for her."

A BBC documentary Real Story: Teenage Alcoholics charted Miss Garvey's problems with alcohol.

At the time she said: "I'd say to young people to stop drinking all together, especially binge drinking. You can have a good time without getting drunk.

"I'm not going to say it's never going to be a problem again for me, but I know where it leads and I don't plan to go back down that road again."

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