Clay wants you to know why he was in a maximum security prison

Clay first tried drugs during lunchtime at school. What followed was a decade of addiction and run-ins with police. Now he hopes sharing his story will help others.

Clay Scott first tried drugs as a 12-year-old, sparking an addition that landed him in prison. ( triple j hack: Angel Parsons ) Clay Scott began using drugs before he entered his teens and was consumed by addiction for almost a decade. In 2025 he ended up in a maximum-security prison but was released early via a drug program.

Clay is 500 days sober and is sharing his story so that others suffering from addiction know they’re not alone. Clay Scott first encountered drugs when he was 12 years old. He was at school and his mates were passing around a bong.

"[We] went to a secluded part of the school … and ended up smoking it at lunchtime, Clay tells triple j hack. At the time, Clay was dealing with the passing of his nan. He says his nan was his rock and losing her sent him into a spiral.

"I spent a lot of time with her growing up, Clay says. "She was the first person to really truly tell me how special I am. Between the ages of 12 and 14 Clay would use drugs recreationally at parties or at the skate park with friends.

By 15, he was experimenting with alcohol and other illicit substances too. "Ecstasy, MDMA and LSD as well, that was one I started taking quite young, Clay says. Clay never finished high school. He was asked to leave when he was 17 because he "wasn't doing anything" while he was there.

That's when Clay started to sell drugs to fund his addiction. "At the same time as pursuing money, I was also avoiding feeling what was going on inside my head, he says. Clay's addiction caused his relationships to break down.

He was kicked out of home, he broke up with his girlfriend and was using drugs more than ever before. "There was not a day where I didn't use drugs and alcohol, he says. "On paper, I should not be here.

I didn't think I was going to be here. "I didn't expect that I would make it past the age of 21 and I kind of accepted the dangers of that lifestyle are just part of the game. 2024 was Australia's deadliest year on record for drug overdoses, according to the Pennington Institute. Seven people died every day.

"I tried to take my own life via overdose multiple times, he tells triple j hack. "I really couldn't see a way out. I genuinely could not see a light at the end of the tunnel.

"In those moments I just wanted to feel nothing. Clay's family staged an intervention after finding out he was contemplating suicide in 2024. As a result, he tried to get clean. He gave up everything except weed for nearly seven months until an unexplained seizure resulted in relapse.

A few months later he found himself in a maximum-security prison. "I was completely arrogant and unwilling to accept the fact that [I would get caught], Clay says. Clay has a scar on his face from a wound he received during a dispute over drug money. ( triple j hack: Angel Parsons ) Clay says his first run-in with police happened when he was 18. He was waiting for a friend when he was approached by police who found 39 capsules of MDMA in his bag.