A DAD whose nose has rotted away due to his cocaine habit is desperately pleading with others to stay away from the drug, after the “horror film” effect it had on his life.
Shane Samler says what started as a bit of fun with his friends spiralled into a “nightmare” which cost him £1,000 a week, his scaffolding business, the cartilage in his nose and raising his three children.
Shane Samler has spent more than £2.2million on cocaine throughout his life
It rotted his nose, caused him to lose his hearing and at one point, he almost died
The 38-year-old, from Essex , who is two months clean, is estimated to have spent £2.2million in total on his addiction , stealing from his own scaffolding business to fund week-long benders.
Eventually, it almost killed him – his body began to shut down, with his nose completely collapsing , his mouth locking up and his skin turning grey.
At his worst, he stayed locked in a room for days, sleeping just an hour per day while gambling and taking the class A drug .
But it wasn’t just Shane’s body that suffered – the dad-of-three eventually lost much more than his health, including precious time with his children.
He tells Sun Health: “All the jewellery I had, all the cars I owned – I ended up giving them to drug dealers. I gave it all away for just a few hundred quid.
“I just wanted to die. I would have been happy for the cocaine to kill me.”
He is speaking out to stop other people from getting caught in the vicious cycle of addiction – warning of the terrifying effects the party drug can have.
“I thought I had a whitehead spot on my nose. I went to pick it and felt it go through – it was like something out of a horror film,” Shane says of his lowest point.
“It was excruciating. I used to blow out pieces of cartilage.
“I was always in and out of hospital. I used to have to have ice on my face and I was on copious amounts of painkillers.
“I could only sleep for an hour at a time.”
Shane tried to quit the drug several times but he is hoping this time it will stick. He is trying to stay on the straight and narrow by sharing his story.
“Cocaine made me calm – it did the opposite of what it should do,” he says.
“If I’m not doing recovery or working on myself, my head gets so busy, it feels like I’m getting dizzy. It gets so loud in my head.”
Shane started using the drug aged 15.
What began as weekend use with mates that seemed unproblematic to him soon became more regular.
Shane says: “I was doing it once every week or month – it wasn’t an issue then.
“It never controlled me. I was never addicted to it.
“Then I started doing it from Friday to Sunday morning every week without fail, and on Wednesdays.”
I was told I would end up in a wheelchair and my world just crashed
Shane Samler
By 17, Shane was hooked. And by 18, his addiction truly spiralled out of control.
“It became a nightmare and my life has been a mess ever since,” he says.
“I would get half an ounce on a Friday and I would take that out with me for me and friends to do.
“I was spending about £1,000 a week.
“I ended up getting into tens of thousands of pounds of debt with the people above me and my mum had to pay £20,000 to bail me out. She almost lost her house.
“I just remember the way it made me feel. It was the best feeling I can describe, apart from having kids.
“I felt like I was invincible. I felt like my confidence was through the roof.”
Shane says he looks as though he has been ‘dug up from a grave’
The dad and his daughter before his addiction spiralled out of control
Shane initially took cocaine as a way to ‘have fun with his mates at the weekend’
The drug eventually took over his entire life
Sadly, Shane’s addiction only worsened when he visited doctors over an eye issue and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at age 23.
It is a chronic, disabling and incurable disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, causing extreme fatigue , vision problems, numbness, muscle cramps and spasms and issues with memory and concentration.
Medics warned he could end up in a wheelchair and the news hit him hard.
But instead of slowing down, Shane’s cocaine use only got worse.
The 10 signs your ‘social’ coke habit is spiralling out of control
IT'S no secret cocaine is a highly addictive drug, and what starts out as a one-off can quickly turn into a habit.
So how do you know if your ‘social’ coke use is tipping over into a serious addiction?
Here, with the help of Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical director of Patient.info, we reveal the warning signs you need to look out for…
- Your eyes are bloodshot
- You’ve got a constant cold
- You keep getting tummy bugs
- You keep having nightmares
- You constantly feel on edge
- You don’t feel the high
- You need coke for a night out
- You don’t want to see your mates
- Your teeth are playing up
- You take extreme risks
You can read about each warning sign in more detail here .
Remember, there is no ‘safe’ amount of cocaine. Use of the drug is reaching epidemic levels in Britain, with the UK branded the ‘Coke capital’ of Europe.
Cocaine use can cause mental health problems – such as anxiety and paranoia – and doctors have linked the rise in cheap, potent coke to an increase in suicide rates.
People from all walks of life, from builders and labourers to celebrities have fallen foul of its lure.
He buried himself deeper in the drug, using it more frequently to numb the fear and pain.
“I was told I had MS and would end up in a wheelchair and my world just crashed.
“I remember the feeling – it was horrendous.
“They were saying it could have been made worse by heavy cocaine use.”
EIGHT-DAY BENDERS
Shane went on eight-day binges and ran his life into the ground while convincing himself he was fine.
He admits to taking an ounce every weekend and even stealing cash and metals from his successful co-owned scaffolding business to fund the habit.
“Everything was going really well with the scaffolding but my use had got so bad,” he adds.
“I used to go on benders for eight days straight.
“ I would send people into the bank to draw money out of the scaffold company. Every week, we took £1,500.”
Aside from his drug use, Shane also gambled away £100,000 – a habit he picked up while high on substances.
Over the years, he has repeatedly tried to get clean but he says the addiction always dragged him back, rearing its head at times of distress, including when a close friend passed away.
Despite multiple stints in recovery, including one funded by a friend who won £1million on the lottery , nothing seemed to stick.
When Shane was diagnosed with MS, his addiction only got worse
The dad-of-three lost precious time with his children
‘It was excruciating,’ says Shane, after cartilage began to fly out of his nose
After relapsing, Shane is now two months sober
He says: “During my last relapse, I ended up in hospital – I got a cyst in my head, couldn’t open my mouth and my ears went totally deaf.
“I could barely stand up because the room was spinning so much.
“I called a friend who worked at A&E and I went to the hospital. That was a turning point for me.
“I had spent years missing out on my kids growing up.
“I missed out on so much – all I did was stay in bed getting on it.
“I was living in a bedroom in my mum’s house and would shut the door whenever they came round so they didn’t have to see me.
“I was like a homeless man living in a nice house. It was horrendous.”
The addictive spiral of cocaine
COCAINE can quickly become addictive as it affects the brain's reward system.
It triggers a rise in dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward; it creates an intense but short-lived euphoria.
The brain adapts itself to these elevated dopamine levels, which can make it harder for people to derive pleasure from non-cocaine sources, driving a compulsive need for the drug.
High-stress jobs, drug use among friends or colleagues, and relying on cocaine to manage underlying mental health issues can also fuel addiction.
This poses severe risks to physical and mental health, as well as the welfare of your family, career prospects and personal security.
Some of the most serious health effects include:
- An elevated heart rate and blood pressure, increasing the risk of cardiovascular events
- Heightened body temperature and hyperactivity, which can lead to physical exhaustion
- Decreased appetite, often resulting in significant weight loss
- Increased aggression, potentially leading to conflict, violence or other dangerous situations
- Chronic cardiovascular issues, including heart disease
- Respiratory complications and neurological impairments such as seizures and strokes
- Severe gastrointestinal problems and malnutrition
- Persistent nosebleeds and losing your sense of smell (for those who snort cocaine)
- Increased susceptibility to infectious diseases (for those who inject cocaine)
- Heightened anxiety and paranoia
- Mood swings, depression and suicidal thoughts due to the cycle of intense highs and debilitating crashes
There are also a number of long-term side effects of cocaine addiction. These include:
- Trouble at work due to preoccupation with cocaine or drug-reduced productivity
- Conflict with partners, children, colleagues and clients
- Legal issues as a result of possession, supply or crimes committed to fund a cocaine addiction
- Reputation damage to associated businesses or people
Source: UKAT
Shane recently managed to get sober and stay so for nine months until a relapse one night set him back.
Now two months clean, he’s working to rebuild his life and repair his damaged nose – but he says the scars left by years of addiction will stay with him forever.
He adds: “I’m optimistic – I feel like I’m doing well.
“I have options now – going to different rehabs, doing different talks in different rehabs and doing a course on public speaking.
“I’m trying. I just want peace. I feel as though I could help so many people. The only thing that stopped me was myself.
“I have things lined up this time, so I just need to keep busy.
“My worst enemy is myself – when I’m left to my own devices, that is dangerous to me.
“I’m bored of relapsing, I really am.
“That’s why I am sharing my story – just to help people, so no one has to get to where I’ve got to.”
GETTING HELP:
If you think that you have a drug addiction then please contact your GP.
You can also visit FRANK for honest information about drugs and to find local treatment services.
If you are having trouble finding the right help, call the FRANK drugs helpline on 03001236600
Or click here to visit the NHS website for more advice and support
