Harry Beattie - ADHD, Addiction & Ice Baths

Harry Beattie spent over a decade in Narcotics Anonymous while repeatedly relapsing. In this episode of Coming Clean With Me, he shares what finally changed when his sobriety began to stabilise — not through a new programme, but through major life shifts including fatherhood, daily structure, public accountability, and cold-water exposure. He reflects on why previous recovery attempts failed and what made the difference this time.In conversation with cocaine addiction expert Elliott Wald, Harry opens up about his history of cocaine use, repeated relapse, and the emotional roots of addiction. He discusses growing up in an emotionally distant home, living with undiagnosed ADHD, and using cocaine to quiet his mind rather than energise it — until it led to paranoia, disrupted sleep, and deteriorating mental health.Harry explains how responsibility, habit, and routine became key to lasting sobriety. He maintains a focus on discipline, structure, and daily consistency rather than thinking in terms of being “cured.”00:00 – Cocaine addiction recovery: From chaos to Ice Bath Harry00:34 – Childhood abandonment and emotional neglect00:42 – Privilege without nurture: hidden trauma01:11 – 409 days clean: why sobriety finally stuck01:30 – Full introduction: Ice Bath Harry’s story03:14 – Growing up wealthy but emotionally deprived04:13 – ADHD, school expulsions, and being labelled “naughty”06:40 – Seeking validation, rebellion, and risk-taking09:20 – Impulsivity, danger, and early addiction traits10:19 – Undiagnosed ADHD and addiction vulnerability12:35 – “I’m not cured”: understanding long-term recovery12:49 – Video game addiction and escapism13:49 – Alcohol, early substance use, and rebellion15:36 – First cocaine use and immediate emotional relief16:45 – Why cocaine felt calming, not stimulating18:10 – ADHD, dopamine deficiency, and cocaine21:43 – How cocaine addiction escalates23:04 – Sales culture, money, and daily cocaine use24:07 – When cocaine stops working26:26 – Addiction, anxiety, and loss of control28:30 – Isolation, paranoia, and binge use30:00 – Dry sniffing and hiding cocaine addiction31:09 – Why traditional recovery failed33:56 – Losing family, home, and identity36:00 – Staying awake for days on cocaine38:30 – Cocaine-induced paranoia and psychosis42:10 – “This isn’t what cocaine promised”44:20 – Rock bottom and emotional collapse46:55 – Rehab, relapse, and reality49:05 – Visualising recovery and future identity51:22 – Is addiction a disease?55:00 – Why one-size-fits-all recovery doesn’t work59:57 – Alcohol vs cocaine: brain differences01:08:11 – Why stimulant addiction needs a different approach01:24:26 – Ice baths, dopamine, and recovery01:26:00 – Public accountability and staying clean01:28:30 – Building Ice Bath Harry online01:31:40 – Identity, shame, and self-belief01:32:30 – What addiction really is01:34:00 – Fatherhood, meaning, and closing messageElliott Wald is a British psychologist, hypnosis expert, and behavioural analyst with over 30 years of clinical experience. He specialises exclusively in the treatment of cocaine addiction via nasal use (snorting) — a form of stimulant addiction that is frequently misunderstood and poorly treated by generic recovery models.Alongside his formal clinical training, Elliott also brings direct lived experience. He maintained a daily cocaine addiction for 15 years, when he was publicly visible and appearing as an expert on national television. This combination of clinical expertise and first-hand experience allows Elliott to understand stimulant addiction from both a neuropsychological and human perspective — without ideology, moral judgement, orFind out more on Elliott's website: https://www.hypnosis-expert.com/ADDICTION/