![\"Beautiful](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307978120-28c1.jpg\")
\n\t\tGinny ordered drugs online using next day delivery (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tGinny ordered drugs online using next day delivery (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m sorry, we can\u2019t serve you,\u2019 said the Boots cashier. \u2018You\u2019ve been in here every day this week.\u2019<\/p>\n
Ginny Shenton\u2019s face flushed red, as she looked down at the packet of co-codamol<\/a> on the counter between them.<\/p>\n \u2018I was so embarrassed,\u2019 Ginny, 42, tells Metro<\/strong>. \u2018Everyone could hear, while I tried to convince her she\u2019d got the wrong person.<\/p>\n \u2018That should have been a turning point, but I just went to another pharmacy<\/a> on the same road, and got my supply there instead.\u2019<\/p>\n Ginny, from Stockton-On-Tees, was first prescribed codeine<\/a> by a doctor in November 2022, to ease pain caused by gallstones.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tAsk Metro<\/p>\n Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about \u2013 powered by Metro and trusted publications.<\/p>\n \u2018I was also suffering badly with arthritis,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018I found it difficult to walk, had swelling in my knees and was in terrible pain, all the time. It was taking a real toll on my mental health<\/a>, and I felt miserable \u2014 but all that changed once I started taking codeine.\u2019<\/p>\n For the first time in years, Ginny was pain-free. <\/p>\n \u2018Life was great at first,\u2019 she says. \u2018Suddenly I had so much more energy. I was busy at work, and could still keep on top of life admin, and seeing friends and family.\u2019<\/p>\n But codeine \u2014\u00a0a prescription-only opioid, in the same family of drugs as morphine \u2014\u00a0can become addictive<\/a>.<\/p>\n And Ginny, who worked in a charity<\/a> shop at the time, was quickly building up a tolerance, recalling: \u2018I started off on the lowest dose, 15mg, taking four pills a day. Within six months, that had been upped to 60mg.<\/p>\n \u2018Then, I started noticing my prescription wasn\u2019t lasting the entire month it was meant for, and that\u2019s when I started getting co-codamol (a lower-strength dose of codeine mixed in with other painkillers such as paracetamol, available over the counter) to supplement it.<\/p>\n \u2018At no point did I think \u201cthis is a problem\u201d. I just thought I hadn\u2019t kept track of how many I was taking. And I wasn\u2019t getting high. I just felt normal again.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Because she\u2019d always had a healthy relationship with alcohol, and had never touched drugs before, Ginny didn\u2019t realise the seriousness of her increasing dependence.<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018The drugs are legal, so I wasn\u2019t putting myself in dangerous situations to feed my habit,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n \u2018I was buying them from high street stores, and when you\u2019re taking pills from a standard pill packet, you can do it in public, in front of people, or at work. No one bats an eyelid.\u2019<\/p>\n Even after her gall bladder surgery in 2024, the GP continued to prescribe Ginny codeine for pain.<\/p>\n \u2018The only person that seemed concerned was my brother, who lived with me,\u2019 she says. <\/p>\n \u2018But he thought it was a failing of the care I was receiving. He\u2019d tell me to go back to the doctors, because he assumed the pain killers weren\u2019t doing enough for me.\u2019<\/p>\n After the incident at Boots \u2014 where Ginny was refused service \u2014 she had to find new ways to get the drugs, initially splitting her purchases between different shops and never going to the same one too many times in a row.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019d keep track of which staff members were working when, and who had already served me,\u2019 she adds. \u2018And then, one day I just Googled \u201cbuy codeine online\u201d, and discovered online pharmacies.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) tell Metro<\/strong> that there\u2019s growing concern about websites like these.<\/p>\n Kathie Cashell, chief executive at the GPhC, says: \u2018We are increasingly concerned about the number of fake\u00a0online\u00a0pharmacies. <\/p>\n \u2018These often look real but could be selling medicines that are unsafe and seriously harmful.<\/p>\n \u2018A quick search of our\u00a0online\u00a0register at pharmacyregulation.org can help people identify legitimate\u00a0pharmacies.\u2019<\/p>\n Through these fake online pharmacies, Ginny says it was \u2018easy\u2019 to order unlimited co-codamol and codeine at the click of a button, having it delivered to her door within 24 hours.<\/p>\n Eventually, she was spending \u00a3115 on the 100-pill a day habit, equating to around \u00a33,565 a month.<\/p>\n Ginny says: \u2018These were not legitimate sites or brands you\u2019d recognise. It was like ordering from Amazon. All you had to do is pick what you wanted and pay, there was no consultation or medical questions whatsoever.<\/p>\n \u2018I remember once seeing a receipt for 224 tablets that I\u2019d bought in one go, and got through them in about two or three days.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tHow to know if an online pharamcy is legitimate\t\t\t<\/p>\n Kathie Cashell, chief executive at the GPhC tells Metro: \u2018<\/strong>Online\u00a0pharmacies\u00a0can offer convenient access to medicines and healthcare advice, but providing services remotely can bring additional patient safety challenges.<\/p>\n \u2018All legitimate\u00a0pharmacies\u00a0must be registered with us and have to meet our standards when supplying medicines. We inspect those\u00a0pharmacies\u00a0and take enforcement action if our standards are not being met.<\/p>\n \u2018In our\u00a0updated guidance for registered\u00a0pharmacies\u00a0providing pharmacy services at a distance, including on the internet, we specifically make clear that:<\/p>\n \u2018All\u00a0pharmacies\u00a0in Great Britain have to be registered with the GPhC. A quick search of our\u00a0online\u00a0register<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at can help people identify legitimate\u00a0pharmacies\u00a0and avoid potentially harmful fake medicines, helping to keep people safe.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019d just pour them into my hand and take them, that way, I could trick myself into thinking I wasn\u2019t taking as much.<\/p>\n \u2018I didn\u2019t do anything else apart from work, pay my bills, do the food shop, and take codeine.<\/p>\n \u2018I stopped seeing my niece and nephew because I couldn\u2019t afford the \u00a320 train ticket to Newcastle.<\/p>\n \u2018I was sick a lot, and dropped down to about 7st. I\u2019d get withdrawals \u2014 cramps in my legs, aches, flu-like symptoms and trouble sleeping.\u2019<\/p>\n And, Ginny was beginning to struggle with debt.<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019d take out credit cards and pay day loans. I borrowed a lot of money from family. I\u2019d tell them I just needed extra to pay bills. I was lying so much.\u2019<\/p>\n But in November 2025, Ginny\u2019s addiction finally reached crisis point.<\/p>\n \t\t She explains: \u2018I went to France for a wedding. I woke up the morning after, went to the toilet, and there was blood pouring out of me.<\/p>\n \u2018I told myself I was just hungover, and after about 24 hours the bleeding stopped, but back in the UK, I went to A&E.<\/p>\n \u2018I was diagnosed with stomach ulcers, caused by ibuprofen in co-codamol. I needed two blood transfusions.<\/p>\n \u2018I told them I\u2019d been taking codeine, but I didn\u2019t reveal the full extent.\u2019<\/p>\n Still, four days in hospital proved to be a wake-up call.<\/p>\n \u2018I went online and searched for drug rehab centres, and Grow Change Love <\/a>popped up, a health and social care charity,\u2019 says Ginny.<\/p>\n \u2018They signposted me to a rehab service, and I went the next day.<\/p>\n \u2018I walked into reception and felt really out of place. I didn\u2019t think of myself as a drug addict. A lot of the people there didn\u2019t have homes to go, and were what you might imagine when you think \u201cdrug addict\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2018But I had to leave any stereotypes at the door. Nobody wants that label, and I didn\u2019t feel like one, but you have to admit it to yourself to get help.\u2019 <\/p>\n \t\t Despite being on a methadone programme, taking a synthetic opioid each day to treat her drug dependence, Ginny found the first four months especially difficult.<\/p>\n \u2018If someone had given me some pills, I\u2019d have taken them; psychologically, you still want it,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n \u2018I now deal with pain from the arthritis again, but I\u2019ve found healthier coping mechanisms. I exercise, and meditate. I\u2019m learning to live with it.\u2019<\/p>\n And life is so much better drug-free.<\/p>\n Ginny explains: \u2018I\u2019m spending time with my friend and family again, and everyone has been so supportive of my recovery.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m just living a fun, normal life. I\u2019m so much happier.\u2019<\/p>\n Now, Ginny is raising awareness of the danger of accessing drugs via these fake online pharmacies, saying she\u2019s concerned \u2018making drugs so accessible can turn people into addicts.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018There needs to be more checks and balances,\u2019 she adds. \u2018These drugs can kill, and people need to be protected.\u2019<\/p>\n Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk<\/strong><\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307978735-bc47-e1786448493713.jpg\")
\n\t\tGinny had no history of addiction issues (Picture: Ginny Shenton)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307978118-1a24.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe 42-year-old fell into debt to feed her habit (Picture: Ginny Shenton)<\/p>\n![\"Pharmacist](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307978492-b4d3.jpg\")
\n\t\tShe accessed drugs online or over the counter (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307977976-c8dd-e1786448058916.jpg\")
\n\t\tGinny flew home from France, and went straight to A&E (Picture: Ginny Shenton)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307977974-ce94-e1786447941774.jpg\")
\n\t\tGinny has been clean since November 2025 (Picture: Ginny Shenton)<\/p>\n
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