Christiane F. <Certified × Guide>

At age 12, she began smoking hashish at a local youth club.

Christiane was born in 1962 in Hamburg and moved to West Berlin as a child, living in the high-rise housing project of Gropiusstadt. Her home life was marked by an abusive, alcoholic father and a mother often absent due to work and personal relationships. Christiane F.

Seeking an escape and a sense of belonging at the trendy disco "The Sound," she tried heroin at 13 after attending a David Bowie concert. By 14, she was physically dependent and prostituting herself at West Berlin’s Bahnhof Zoo station to fund her habit. Media Impact and Cultural Phenomenon At age 12, she began smoking hashish at a local youth club