Raffaella Fletcher grew up on drugs, starting at the age of 12 with marijuana. By the time she was 19 she was a heroin addict, prepared to do anything to get enough money for a fix. By the time she was 24 she was ready to commit suicide. This is the story of those years, from a happy, middle-class home into the gutter. She was lucky. Slowly and painfully she recovered.

Most 11-year-old girls dream of pop stars or ponies, fashion or music. But at that age Raffaella Fletcher dreamed of getting high, at 12 she was hooked, and for the next seven years she was continually stoned. At 19 she discovered heroin, and her life plummeted into a perpetual cycle of dealing, scoring, fixing-up and prostitution. Escape came when she finally admitted to her parents that she was an addict, and the struggle towards recovery could begin. This is Raffaella’s story. Now 29, she runs her own business as an illustrators’ agent in Italy. Her co-author, Peter Mayle, also wrote ”A Year in Provence”.