From model mum to METH ADDICT: How one woman hid a raging addiction from her family for 18 months while spending $125,000 of their savings on drugs... and her husband forgave her

  • Kelly Neilsen developed an ice addiction after she asked her husband for space
  • She went to stay with a friend and while there experienced her first hit
  • The mother of three was hooked immediately and began smoking the drug daily
  • In just 18 months she spent $125,000, causing her family to lose their home 

By Hannah Moore For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 01:00 EST, 2 February 2017 | Updated: 01:00 EST, 2 February 2017

A Victorian mother of three who spent $125,000 on a secret meth addiction over 18 months before coming clean has revealed how it almost tore her family apart.

Kelly Neilsen told that's life! magazine she had been running the administration side of her husband's plastering business and parenting her three boys when she slowly became resentful of her selfless life.

Shortly after her 40th birthday, she asked her husband Jeff for a break and moved in with a friend. 

While there, she experienced her first hit of methamphetamine - and quickly became addicted. 

Troubles: When Kelly Neilsen asked her husband (pictured) for some space and went to live with a friend, she didn't realise how it would turn her life upside down 

'Suddenly, I felt a rush of excitement,' Mrs Neilen told that's life! 

'Although crystal meth is illegal, and I knew it was addictive, the thought of doing something on my own, without my family, gave me a thrill.'

Mrs Neilsen explained from that moment on, getting high and its associated euphoria consumed her thoughts. 

From her first dalliance with the drug, smoking meth became an everyday habit for the now-44-year-old. 

Mum's the word: The mother of three managed to hide her $125,000 ice addiction from her family for 18 months

She would skim money from her husband's business to pay for the illicit substance, and was only paying the minimum on bills for the business and family home. 

Despite being able to hide her financial deception, Mrs Neilsen could not cover up the effects the drug was having on her body. 

She reported rotting teeth, acne on her back and personality changes, which caused her to be cruel to her then-estranged husband. 

Staying close: Mrs Neilsen and her husband Jeff managed to salvage their relationship

Read more: The latest edition of that's life! is out now

Some days, she admitted she would spend up to $1500 on meth.

It wasn't until she realised she had spent $125,000 on drugs alone that the 44-year-old snapped.

She broke down in tears and called Lifeline, who referred her to a rehabilitation service. She booked in for a 10-day detox starting the next day.

Luckily, her husband was understanding when she confessed that night. 

'When Jeff got home, I sat him down and said: "I'm addicted to ice - I've spent all our money",' she said. 

'He was shocked, but he pulled me into a hug and said "I love you, we're going to get through this".' 

Mrs Neilsen has now been clean for three years. 

While her marriage is strong again, the family were forced to sell their house, and the mother-of-three needed a full set of false teeth. 

'I still can't believe what I did - I went from model mum to meth addict,' she said.  

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