A MAN has told how he is turning his life around after kicking a £1,000 a week cocaine habit, which spanned 30 years.

Martin White, 54, from Southend, lost everything to his addiction - his business, his health and his family.

However, he has bravely fought back and now wants to be an inspiration to others.

He said: “I come from East London and as a kid I had a rough background.

“My dad was a scrap metal merchant and a drinker.

“He was in and out of prison and I never went to school - just out in the lorry with my dad. I will say it made me very streetwise.

“As I got older, I promised myself one day I would be rich and make the break away from being poor.

“I opened up a second hand furniture shop and before I knew it I had 30 shops and became very rich very quickly.”

He first tried cocaine at the age of 19 and said he used to “dabble” in it until his mid-20s when he was using it two or three times a week.

Martin added: “Things got out of control. I was spending around £1,000 per week on coke. That’s when things went really wrong.

“I lost my way in life, lost my business, my family and the worst was yet to come. “For many years things were out of control.

“I lost myself which was was sad as I had been a sharp young man to start, but cocaine grabbed hold of me and took 30 years of my life away.”

Things turned even worse after his mum died and he almost died twice due to cocaine.

He said: “After being up for 48 hours, my heart missed a beat. I walked around the block, sat outside a church and thought this is where I am going to die.

“On walking back to my house, I remember three young lads looking at me from their car and laughing.

“I was around 19 stone in weight and looked like death.”

When Martin got back to his house, he saw a photo of his mother and at that moment decided to turn his life around.

He broke down in front of a mirror and from that day he has been clean from cocaine - and alcohol.

That was two-and-a-half years ago and he has since lost eight stone.

His story reached a woman who runs a cocaine addiction support group and she encouraged him to inspire others with his story.

He now travels all over delivering motivational speeches.

His next speech is on May 13 at Hockley Community Centre from 2pm until 3.30pm. He said: “I have never looked back.

“Cocaine kills people and ruins their lives, but I am here to help.”