Mike Gunn began taking hard drugs at 16

Mike Gunn has performed at several London schools and says pupils respond well to his realistic view of drugs.

He has been working with a grant from the Arts Council, but will perform on Monday to professionals, to try to win funding to take the show nationwide.

The show charts his own addiction - illustrated with "humorous slides".

He says he started on Class A drugs when he was 16 and by the age of 28, his life was in pieces.

But he found his own drugs education had little impact on his fellow pupils.

It is about time somebody gave an honest drug message that isn't a boring lecture on the evils of drugs Mike Gunn

"When I was at school, my drugs education was a local copper that came around and said: 'Just say no' and said if you ever got near drugs, you'd be addicted immediately and die," he said.

"I knew that was rubbish because half the people in class had already taken drugs and we were all fine.

"I just think it is about time somebody gave an honest drug message that isn't a boring lecture on the evils of drugs that no-one wants to listen to."

He has won praise from teachers and sixth-form pupils at Haydon School in Eastcote, north London, where his act has been shown to three groups of pupils.

And he won some support from Peter Martin of Addaction, the drugs and alcohol agency.

Mr Martin told BBC News: "Kids are far too wise to think that one sniff of heroin and you're going to die.

"They need education programmes that are very sophisticated, but unfortunately they are not in place at the moment in schools."

Mr Gunn wants to take his show to theatres, arts centres, schools and universities across the UK.