11-Year-Old Girl Survives Alcohol Overdose to Warn Others

An 11-year-old girl nearly lost her life after consuming an alarming 20 shots of alcohol at a party, driven by a desire to fit in. Madison Wellington, now 23, shared her harrowing experience to raise awareness among parents and deter young girls from rushing into adulthood.

Madison’s story began in Gosport, Hampshire, where she mingled with older children aged between 14 and 17 while playing in her neighborhood. This association led her to pick up smoking and engage in reckless behavior with her new friends. Shortly after starting Year Seven in high school, she received an invitation to a party for Year 11 students, feeling pressure to attend and “prove herself.”

At this party, Madison consumed between 15 to 20 shots of vodka and Cactus Jack before her memory faded. She also experimented with a substance she suspects was methadone, applying remnants from a CD case to her gums. The next thing she remembers is falling down a flight of stairs, followed by waking up in a hospital after being placed in an induced coma.

Madison learned from doctors that she had “nearly died.” She expressed her desire to warn both parents and teenagers about the dangers of trying to act older than their years. “I turned up and thought ‘now I’m a bit nervous. How am I going to make people think I’m cool?’” Madison explained. “They were trying to intimidate me. They said ‘if you’re one of us drink these’ and offered an array of shots.”

The severity of her situation became clear when a neighbor discovered her in distress, leading to her being rushed to the hospital. Madison underwent a stomach pumping and spent two days in recovery after regaining consciousness. She was fortunate to escape without any lasting physical damage, though the incident significantly impacted her mental health.

“My mum was told they didn’t think I was going to wake up,” she recalled. “I struggled with my mental health a lot and I’d drink a lot. I was just trying to grow up way before my time but for no reason.”

Since her near-fatal experience, Madison has been vocal about the importance of parents fostering open and transparent relationships with their children. She emphasized, “It’s super important to build a relationship with your child where you can be open and transparent with each other because you never know what’s going on behind the scenes and behind the screens of their phones—especially in this day and age.”

Madison believes her mother trusted the child she was, not realizing the challenges she faced outside the home. “Know your child well,” she advised.

Today, Madison is pursuing a career as an artist and hopes to share her story through her music on TikTok. By recounting her experiences, she aims to prevent others from making the same dangerous choices she did.