Table of Contents
- Harry Beattie's Addiction
- A Life-Changing Moment
- Harry's Recovery Journey
- Signs of Cocaine Addiction
For a decade, Harry Beattie battled a crippling addiction.
This struggle left him tormented by terrifying hallucinations and in rent arrears after spending all his money to support his habit. That changed when the father of two discovered a new passion.
Harry Beattie’s addiction to alcohol, drugs, and gambling destroyed his relationships, career, and healthCredit: Jam Press
He developed fungal infections in his nose and was unable to breathe through it due to his drug useCredit: Jam Press
Harry, 33, from Waterlooville, spent approximately £80 a day on cocaine, £20 on alcohol, and thousands more on binges for over ten years.
It wasn’t just Harry’s finances that suffered.
He told Sun Health: “I lost my business, subsequent jobs, and was unable to secure employment due to my addiction.
“It got so severe that I would sometimes cry in pain, trying to snort more but unable to because of the damage to my nose.”
Harry’s extreme cocaine use led to fungal infections that destroyed the tissues in his nose, leaving him unable to breathe.
Even the smallest triggers would cause him to react in ways he regretted.
“I was very volatile while using,” he recalls. “My mood would swing, and I would become easily irritated if I couldn’t get money or drugs, often acting out with anger and aggression, unable to express my sadness, which was the true emotion I was trying to suppress with drugs.
“The only time I felt calm was when I was using, and the only time I felt happiness was when I knew I was on my way to meet a dealer,” he shares.
“I would sometimes use drugs for three to four days straight without food, water, or sleep—leading to hallucinations, dark thoughts, and erratic behavior.”
Harry’s addiction spiraled so out of control that he lost touch with most of his family and didn’t see his son, Travis, who turned seven in July, for five years.
He ran his own glazing business into the ground and cycled through countless jobs—often using cocaine until 4 am before clocking in.
From 2020 to 2023, he was unemployed for three years. “I had a job at a mental health facility but lost it because I couldn’t stay clean and didn’t show up for work,” says Harry.
At his lowest, Harry spent his entire monthly income of £1,000 on drugs, accumulating rent arrears.
He states: “I’m still working to pay off my debt. I owe over £5,000 in rent arrears, in addition to overdrafts and phone bills, which I used to gamble on sites that allow deposits via phone bills.
“My phone bills often reached into the hundreds.”
He adds: “I frequently woke up feeling depressed, anxious, emotionally unstable, and very angry, likely due to using cocaine and alcohol the night before.
“I would check my phone and find a stream of unpleasant messages from drug dealers, family, friends, and my partner, either because of ‘ticking’ drugs [buying drugs on credit] or begging my family for money to fund my addiction.
“Then I’d promise myself I’d never do it again. I’d eat maybe one meal, try to shower, clear my nose, and aim to stay clean.
“But the feelings of anger, disgust, shame, and guilt would eventually overwhelm me, and I’d spend the next few hours figuring out how to get more drugs and alcohol.”
I woke up one morning and was sick and tired of being sick and tired and finally decided to show up for myself
Harry Beattie
“I would sometimes trick someone into giving me money, and the feelings of depression would lift as I grew to enjoy the chase of acquiring drugs more than the act of using them itself.
“I’d meet the dealer, buy drugs, return home, use them, and then realize I was back in the same cycle of needing to find more.
“This cycle could continue for hours or days, depending on how much money I could gather to continue using.”
After more than a decade of turmoil, Harry finally made the decision to get clean last summer.
He reflects: “I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and living like an animal; I was desperate to get clean.”
The breakthrough came when he decided to try ice baths and received one for free.
Harry discovered that the icy plunge provided him with the rush he had always sought from drugs and alcohol, but without the destructive consequences.
He explains: “I had heard that ice baths released a dopamine hit, which attracted me to them.
“I was
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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