An Aberdeen man who was rushed to A&E and almost died after becoming so addicted to painkillers his kidneys and liver nearly failed has told of how he turned his life around – through the power of rap music.
Peter Macleod, 24, had just left school at the age of 17 when his father died, followed just seven months later by the death of his grandmother.
The twin tragedies took a toll on the former Northfield Academy pupil’s mental health, and the young man took to self-harming, and eventually became addicted to over-the-counter painkillers.
Mr Macleod said: “I started to take more and more pills to ease my pains, and soon I would be going from one pharmacy, and then to another pharmacy, and then to another.
“I was starting to take about eight a day, then eventually 16, and then 32 – a whole box a day.
“It got to the point that I was getting really ill, and sleeping all of the time. I eventually went to my doctor, and after asking me how many I had been taking, he called an ambulance and sent me straight to accident and emergency.
“I was there for a good few days, and the doctor said to me that if I kept doing the pills, I would get complete liver or kidney failure.
“I had never prayed before, but I prayed and prayed, and with a lot of help from my friends and family – especially my mum, she is my angel – I decided that enough was enough.”
Three years later, Mr Macleod’s life is back on track, and he has a steady job he loves working in security.
And he credits his new life in part to his music career as the rapper “Reborn Aberdeen”, a name he chose in recognition of how much his life has changed for the better since his dark days of addiction.
Mr Macleod said: “My lyrics are all about my problems and my struggles, and how things can turn out for the better if you give it your all.
“I just want to use my music to let folk in bad situations know that it can get better if they really try hard enough.”
You can find out more about Mr Macleod and his music on www.facebook.com/RebornAberdeen