Richard started taking drugs at 11 but now after rehab, he “feels free of addiction”
By Poppy Begum and Alexi Phillips
Drugs Map of Britain
Richard felt he had to leave his home town and temporarily move away from his young daughter to kick his crack cocaine habit.
“It is definitely easier to get crack than a takeaway,” said Richard, 28.
The former gardener and bus driver said he had to move 200 miles from his daughter in south Wales for rehab to start building a future for them.
UK cocaine deaths rose sharply in the past decade and on average three people die every day from abusing the drug.
Deaths involving cocaine are at record levels in Wales and England, and UK police forces seized the largest quantity of powder cocaine on record last year.
Crack is the street name given to a solid form of cocaine that is usually smoked, which Richard had been addicted to for four years.
His daughter knew he took drugs and Richard said it was “now or never” for him to get help otherwise his life would be “controlled” by them.
“You can’t get away from it when it’s in your head,” Richard told the BBC Three documentary Drugs Map of Britain.
“You’re willing to do anything to get it. You’ll sell your shoes off your own feet to get crack.
“You can function for a certain amount of time when you start taking crack but eventually it will show.
“But drugs don’t cross my mind when I’m with my daughter, she doesn’t really understand but she’ll know I’ve gone away to get better. Something needed to change.”
Richard writes and sends his daughter an “always on my mind” card while away at rehab
He has moved to Leicester for a 16-week rehab programme followed by a 12-month stint volunteering for a substance abuse charity.
“I’ve had enough of the life of smoking crack, you’ll end with nothing. I lived the life of drugs for too long,” conceded Richard, who had a partner and a job when he started taking crack.
“My daughter was at the forefront of why I did this, for us to have a better life. The first week of rehab was the most difficult, I felt about leaving but I had willpower and my daughter to think of.
“I could have returned home to south Wales after the 16-week programme but I don’t believe I’d be ready. There would be a high percentage [likelihood] of me taking crack again. But after the year, I’ll go home.”
Crack, a substance strongly linked to people living in deprived areas, is a Class A drug that carries a prison penalty for up to seven years for possession, and a maximum life sentence for dealing.
Glenn – not his real name – says he works “all day, every day” sorting and dealing crack cocaine and heroin for users
Glenn – not his real name – is a crack dealer in south Wales and said he could buy an ounce of cocaine for £900 and sell it in shots for £2,500, which can be sold in a day.
“I’d be lying to your face if I didn’t admit I’m part of the problem of the cycle of addiction,” he said.
“I used to be hard on myself, thinking I’m ruining lives but if I don’t do it, someone else is going to.”
In 2019, the UK had the highest percentage of cocaine users in Europe – now it is the Netherlands – and official figures say cocaine has consistently been the second most-used drug, after cannabis, in England and Wales over the past decade.
Official figures revealed drug poisoning deaths in England and Wales at the highest number since records began in 1993, with 4,907 deaths in 2022 – 857 of them people who had taken cocaine.
Former crack addict describes struggle to get clean
Deaths involving cocaine are five times higher in Wales and England than 10 years ago, a rate that is rising faster in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“There’s a crack epidemic going on,” said Richard, who lives in the Rhondda area of south Wales.
“A few years ago you’d have to go to Cardiff to get it, now the dealers are creeping up into the valleys.
The National Crime Agency has said evidence suggests crack cocaine use is behind a rise in violence and is increasing in England and Wales.
Image source, Getty Images
Crack is the street name given to a solid form of cocaine that is usually smoked
“Cocaine is often seen by some in our society as a harmless drug they may use on a night out, but it is far from that,” said a National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesperson.
“Cocaine production and supply is fuelled by violence and exploitation, not only around the world, but here in the UK.”
Referrals to crack abuse treatment services have increased by more than 50% in Wales in the five years to 2021, according to the Welsh national database for substance misuse.
Former crack addict Cullan Mais hosts a podcast to help people having treatment to beat drug addiction
Support workers said users tell them that crack cocaine addiction is so difficult to kick because there are no clinical treatment options, like how methadone can help heroin addicts.
Helpers say the only way crack addicts can break their habit is cognitive behavioural therapy and that makes it difficult to persuade users to stop.
“It is so easy to get addicted to and so powerful,” said former crack addict Cullen Mais, now a peer mentor for south Wales drugs charity project Kaleidoscope.
“With other drugs there’s substitutes and services but for cocaine and crack cocaine there’s not much help out there.”
Richard wants to follow Cullan and help people like him kick their crack cocaine addiction
Cullan, 32, went to prison for stealing to fund his drug addiction but said he had been clean for 10 years.
Richard said rehab had “helped massively”, he felt “free of addiction” and was “a changed man”.
“I’m not Richard the crack smoker any more, I’m Richard the Christian and loving father,” he said.
“I’m proud of myself but not naive enough to think my journey is over. But I want to eventually support others and I want my story to give hope.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, the BBC Action Line has links to organisations which can offer support and advice
Drugs Map of Britain, a four-part series, is available on BBC iPlayer and on Tuesdays at 22:15 GMT on BBC Three.
