One mouthful of methadone is all it took to kill Linzi

Linzi McGowan

Linzi McGowan, 19, who worked for Snowsport Scotland, had been drug-free for over a year and was helping other young heroin users fight their addictions when she died.

Her devastated mother Myrna, 50, today said her daughter's death should serve as a warning to others of the dangers of drugs.

The popular teenager was found dead at a friend's flat on Sunday morning, less than 24 hours after being released from hospital following a methadone overdose, her mother said.

Is the use of methadone the best way to treat heroin addicts?

Mrs McGowan described her daughter as "full of love, happy, and never down in the dumps" and paid tribute to the strength she had shown in kicking her addiction.

"Linzi started on heroin when she was just young. She is only 19 now. I think it had a grip on her for about a year," she said. "She came to me (more than a year ago] and said, 'Mum I need your help'. She was my daughter, you would do anything for your children."

Linzi refused to take methadone at the time and went "cold turkey" for three weeks at her mother's Chesser home.

Though she had been clean for more than a year, she didn't break with her old circle of friends. Mrs McGowan said: "She was trying to help everyone else and saying if she could do it they could do it. And it didn't matter what problem it was, she thought she could help solve it, and say the right things. Sometimes I thought she was trying to save the world. Going by what people are writing about her she did help. I didn't approve of her doing it because I was scared she would be dragged back into it but I didn't realise how strong she was."

Linzi had been working as an admin assistant with Snowsport Scotland in South Gyle after rebuilding her life.

Mrs McGowan said she was at a loss to understand why her daughter apparently fell back into old habits when her life looked so positive.

"This should be warning to her friends because Linzi always tried to help people and I hope this can help any of them to see the dangers," she said.

More than 3000 people have visited an online tribute set up in Linzi's memory, and many of her friends have left messages describing her caring and cheerful personality. One friend, Craig Pender, wrote: "Linzi you have been truly one of my best friends, you will be sadly missed, I shed tears today you were always there after I lost my mum, really you were an astonishing girl."

Another friend, Lee Forsyth, described her "cheeky wee smile", while Lynn McDonald wrote, "why is the question everyone is asking, so young and beautiful with everything to live for."

Drug charity workers who helped Linzi beat her addiction told her mother how struck they were by the love and devotion the teenager showed for her family.

Mrs McGowan added: "CID are still investigating and as far as I know someone gave her something on Friday.

"I don't know if she took it intentionally or not, but I have heard that she took 80 millilitres of methadone which really shocked me because she had beaten her heroin (addiction].

"She was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and was later released because she was in no danger but died overnight on Saturday night. I know she didn't sign herself out because I checked that but we are waiting on toxicology reports.

"CID say they don't believe she took any more drugs on Saturday night."

Investigations are ongoing to establish the origin of the methadone and in a statement police said: "There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal."

Professor Neil McKeganey, director of the centre for drugs misuse research at University of Glasgow and one of Scotland's leading drug experts, warned that methadone is a "highly dangerous" drug that carries a "very high risk of overdose".

"Drinking a quantity of methadone in the absence of a heroin habit is highly dangerous and carries the real risk of fatal overdose. Methadone is a powerful depressant that affects the heart and remains in the body for a number of days and would still be a worry."

Mrs McGowan said: "Words cannot describe our grief. It's unbelievable. What gives me some comfort is the thought that my wee Linzi doesn't know she's dead. She went to sleep and never woke up again. Seeing how much people loved her and the tributes from her friends are helping too."

Linzi, a devoted Rangers fan, is survived by mum Myrna, dad Eric, brother Liam and step- sister Elle.

Hundreds of mourners are expected to attend the funeral at St Ninian's Church, St John's Road, at 1pm on Monday.

The right prescription, or are we just shifting the problem?

EXPERTS are divided on the use of methadone to treat long-term drug addiction. Here two present the case for and against:

FOR

Biba Brand of the Scottish Drugs Forum

"Methadone has been proven internationally to have a very, very important place in the treatment of drug addiction.

"We know from research that staying on methadone tends to prolong (a drug user's] life by about 13 per cent.

"We also know that of those deaths that are occurring (overall], two-thirds are outwith treatment, so being in treatment - and generally that involves methadone - is helping people stay alive.

"It can only ever work properly if the people involved are given additional psychological and social help needed to beat drug-addiction. Addicts have a range of problems.

"Methadone can help save lives, but we need to help people progress through treatment."

AGAINST

Professor Neil McKeganey, Professor of Drug Misuse Research, University of Glasgow

"The Scottish Government says that there are around 22,000 addicts on methadone. That figure is an estimate because we do not even know how many addicts are being prescribed methadone. Nor, as it happens, do we have any information on the number of people coming off methadone.

"The latest research in Scotland shows that addicts who were prescribed methadone continued to inject drugs for on average 20 years.

"That research shows one thing more powerfully than any other - when you prescribe methadone to a heroin addict your treatment can very easily become part of the problem."