'I lived on the streets injecting any drugs I could - having my son saved my life'

At just 16, Shani Taylor had been kicked out of the abusive home she grew up in, and left school without any qualifications. Not knowing where to turn, she became an intravenous drug addict, injecting anything she could, including heroin and cocaine into her body.

Living on the streets from a young age, going from one drug-fuelled relationship to another, Shani didn't really care what happened to her and lived this way for a number of years, but one thing saved her from spending the rest of her life as an addict – her fierce desire to start a family of her own.

Now a single mother to her son Oscar, Shani reflects back to a time when she was at her worst, and realises her dream of having a baby is what gave her the push to change her life. She says falling pregnant saved her from drugs and turmoil.

Shani, now a successful business owner living in in Sydney, tells the Mirror: "I had no love and respect for my own body, but I knew I wanted to create my own family as I had nothing to do with my own.

"The defining moment that led to taking drugs for me was that I lost my virginity at 16 to a guy I thought I was in love with and shortly after that he broke up with me saying 'I'm a drug addict and I'd rather take drugs than be with you'. I had no idea he took drugs before that moment and I became very curious as to what was 'better' than me that he would choose that over me.

"Of course, with the wisdom I have now I can see it wasn't just that moment that led me to take drugs. There were multiple factors that contributed over the course of my life where I was searching for a home to belong to and it was misplaced in me seeking it in others."

Shani escaped a dangerous home, somewhere she felt like she didn't belong after finding out her dad wasn't her real father, and used drugs as a way to escape her heartbreak and pain.

She revealed: "I grew up thinking that someone was my dad who wasn't my dad and it was earth-shattering to find out at a young age he wasn't - which left me feeling displaced within my family as my sisters 'belonged' to my 'dad' but I didn't and then I felt I was outcasted.

"I had a highly volatile parent with undiagnosed PTSD and you never knew when they would snap so I was constantly walking around on eggshells so as not to 'wake the beast' and when they did snap I was physically abused, thrown into walls and even choked.

"I took drugs to numb the pain I felt in being me and to find refuge and respite momentarily to not have to face how horrible and unsafe the world felt. I was having sex with my drug dealer so often the drugs were 'free' and I also would casually work at a corner store for money.

"I couch surfed and lived on the streets. I felt very alone and in addition to not having money, not knowing what I would eat next or where I was sleeping, the emotional challenges of feeling scared and unsafe and alone were very frightening at times.

At first, Shani struggled to give up drugs, alcohol and the lifestyle she had become accustomed to, but as soon as she started trying to conceive, she gave up the drugs forever and became a mother at 22, dedicating her time to creating the best life she could for her son.

Shani added: "The defining moment for me was when I decided I wanted to become a mother."

"I knew from a very early age I wanted to have my own children because I knew I didn't belong in the family I was born into and wanted to create my own. Making the conscious decision to try to have a baby was when I knew I had to turn my life around because I wasn't going to re-create the life I had for any child of mine.

Now 39, Shani is a single mother to a 16-year-old, and has built her own seven-figure business teaching others how to make sales and build successful brands. She proudly and openly talks about how becoming a mother saved her life, and gave her a reason to quit the drugs.

She explained: "Looking at my son and the man he has already become and is still evolving into is without a doubt the greatest thing I have done and will ever do in my life. He is so emotionally intelligent, self-led, quietly confident, and holds my big energy and big emotions with his soft but powerful presence.

"He also left school at an early age in year eight. He never liked school, found it hard to fit in and was often bullied. He has THRIVED since leaving school and being at work. It has built self-trust and confidence and leadership in him that he was not developing at school and he is a self-taught musician and DJ.

"I have often told him he has been my reason for living and creating the success and life we have today. He is my superstar and reason for being.

Opening up about their healthy relationship, the mum added: "We have a very close connection and bond with deep trust for one another and at the same time we are VERY independent from each other which has been a natural progression as he went from boy to teen and now teen to a young man. We talk about all topics very openly, nothing is 'off the table' but within respectful boundaries but he knows he can speak to me about anything and he does. Sex, drugs, all of it he shares it with me.

"He knows all about my past and even more so now as I am becoming more well-known and influential. To me, it's important that he knows everything there is to know because I am open to being open to the world but he is my world so it starts with him knowing everything first."

Anyone in need of help and support with substance abuse can contact Frank or call them on 0300 1236600 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or text 82111.

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