Alex Powell, a 32-year-old engineer from Gloucester, found himself trapped in an eight-year battle with cocaine addiction that drained £80,000 from his life and left him fighting for survival. What began as an occasional “bump” on weekends to cope with exhausting 16-hour work shifts gradually spiraled into a full-blown dependence that consumed not only his money but his future.
After separating from his fiancé in early 2016, Alex turned to cocaine as a way to lift his spirits during tough days. Working as an engineering apprentice, his schedule stretched from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., leaving little room for rest. Initially, the drug seemed like a tool to power through long hours; however, the habit quickly escalated beyond his control.
Earning £2,500 a month, Alex found himself burning through his entire salary within a week. To sustain the addiction, he turned to shoplifting and maxed out credit cards, accumulating a staggering £80,000 of debt. His situation deteriorated rapidly—losing his job, his home, and eventually spending time living in hotels or on friends’ couches.
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His addiction worsened after he began injecting cocaine and using crack early in 2017. At his lowest, Alex was spending up to £600 daily on drugs, which led him into dangerous circumstances. He suffered multiple physical injuries, including surgery to reattach tendons and a broken leg caused during violent incidents connected to his drug pursuits.
In August 2017, Alex’s darkest days culminated in a 15-month prison sentence for double burglary. Inside, he developed an opiate habit, learned to obtain methadone, and combined cocaine use with heroin injections, which pushed him even closer to death. He survived several near-fatal overdoses, once describing the experience as “playing Russian roulette with my life.”
Despite these challenges, a turning point came during a second prison sentence in 2022 when a staff member recognized his potential and supported him as a recovery champion—someone dedicated to helping fellow inmates overcome addiction. Upon release, Alex sought treatment, detoxing with prescribed methadone over two years as part of a recovery program.
During this period, Alex was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a revelation that shed light on his lifelong struggles with mood and self-esteem issues. He believes this underlying condition was a significant factor in his drug dependence, stating, “None of this would have happened if I’d been diagnosed earlier and on the right medication.”
Now two years sober, Alex’s life has taken a dramatic turn. He is training to become a support worker to help others battling addiction. His daily routines include gym workouts five times a week, transforming his body from nine to sixteen stone. He reflects on his journey with renewed hope: “Life now is so much better. I still feel stronger and stronger every day. I wake up looking forward to every day.”
Alex’s story is a powerful reminder of the complex interplay between mental health and addiction, and how recovery can emerge through support, understanding, and determination.