A TEENAGER whose life was ruined by ‘legal high’ mephedrone is warning others about the destructive and addictive drug.

The 17-year-old has spoken out after the death of North Yorkshire woman Lois Waters who died on Monday.

The 24-year-old was the fifth person to have lost her life to the ‘party drug’.

The Mirfield teen, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said the drug, also known as MCAT, completely turned his life upside down.

Speaking exclusively to the Examiner he said: “It’s absolutely ruined my life to be quite honest.

“It made me depressed and gave me really bad mood-swings.

“I didn’t realise how it was affecting me at the time. I lost my job and everything else good in my life and now I’m stuck doing a new job which I hate.

“And I’ve let my family down big time.”

The teenager started taking the drug, known on the streets as Meow Meow, when he was out at nightclubs in West Yorkshire.

“Everyone does it now,” he said.

“When it first came about it was just a few groups that went out clubbing round Huddersfield that took it.

“But now people are taking it in their front rooms and taking it before going to the pub, even on the streets.

“It’s so easy to get and it’s so cheap, loads of people sell it and it’s not illegal.

“They meet you or they deliver it to your house.”

Mephedrone is also known as ‘miaow’, ‘drone’, ‘bubbles’ and ‘legal high’ and can be bought for £15 a gram.

It is said to give users a euphoric ‘high’ but can cause mental health problems, hallucinations, nose bleeds, fits, heart attacks and even death.

The teenager said he didn’t realise the drug was taking over his life until it was too late.

He started to have regular nose bleeds and became withdrawn and estranged from his family.

“I won’t say it didn’t make you have a good night because it did,” he said.

“But when you’re taking it you want more and as soon as you are coming down off, it you want more again.

“It’s very more-ish and addictive, you get hooked really quickly.”

His warning to others thinking about trying the drug is that it’s not worth it.

He said: “Don’t ever let yourself get to that point. It’s really not worth the pain.

“It starts ruining your life and you’ll do anything for it, like selling your stuff and stealing to buy more.”

Yesterday Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged ministers would take “immediate action” to ban mephedrone if advisors recommend outlawing the substance.

The Prime Minister said the Government was “determined to act to prevent this evil hurting the young people of this country.”

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is considering the drug as an “absolute priority” and will provide recommendations by the end of the month, Mr Brown told MPs.