Alex Powell, a 32-year-old engineer from Gloucester, began using cocaine as a weekend pick-me-up to manage gruelling 16-hour workdays. What started as occasional use quickly escalated into an eight-year addiction that cost him £80,000 and derailed his life.
Following a separation from his fiancé in 2016, Alex turned to cocaine to lift his spirits. His work schedule was relentless; juggling a £45,000 annual salary, extensive travel, and apprenticeship studies meant he was working or studying from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Addiction crept in as he tried to keep up with the demands of his job and education.
Within weeks of each payday, his £2,500 monthly income vanished. To sustain his habit, Alex resorted to shoplifting, draining savings, and maxing out credit cards. By early 2017, his drug use escalated to injecting cocaine and using crack, spending up to £600 daily. This destructive path led to job loss, homelessness, and multiple hospitalizations after violent attacks.
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In August 2017, Alex was sentenced to 15 months in prison for burglary. Inside, he developed an opiate addiction, learning to fake positive tests to receive methadone. His substance abuse intensified, coupling cocaine with heroin to feed both highs and crashes.
After a subsequent burglary conviction in 2022, Alex received a prison term of nearly four years. There, a staff member recognized his potential, mentoring him as a recovery champion to help others battling addiction. During this period, Alex was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, shedding light on underlying issues that had fueled his drug dependency.
With medical support, methadone-assisted detox, and two years of dedicated recovery work, Alex has now been sober for two years. He has transformed his life—he trains at the gym five times a week, nearly doubling his body weight, and is pursuing training as a support worker to help others escape addiction.
Reflecting on his journey, Alex acknowledges the crucial role his bipolar diagnosis played in understanding and overcoming his past struggles. “I knew if I carried on I was going to die,” he says. “Life now is so much better. I still feel stronger and stronger every day.”