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 Harry 00:34 – Childhood abandonment and emotional neglect 00:42 – Privilege without nurture: hidden trauma 01:11 – 409 days clean: why sobriety finally stuck 01:30 – Full introduction: Ice Bath Harry’s story 03:14 – Growing up wealthy but emotionally deprived 04:13 – ADHD, school expulsions, and being labelled “naughty” 06:40 – Seeking validation, rebellion, and risk-taking 09:20 – Impulsivity, danger, and early addiction traits 10:19 – Undiagnosed ADHD and addiction vulnerability 12:35 – “I’m not cured”: understanding long-term recovery 12:49 – Video game addiction and escapism 13:49 – Alcohol, early substance use, and rebellion 15:36 – First cocaine use and immediate emotional relief 16:45 – Why cocaine felt calming, not stimulating 18:10 – ADHD, dopamine deficiency, and cocaine 21:43 – How cocaine addiction escalates 23:04 – Sales culture, money, and daily cocaine use 24:07 – When cocaine stops working 26:26 – Addiction, anxiety, and loss of control 28:30 – Isolation, paranoia, and binge use 30:00 – Dry sniffing and hiding cocaine addiction 31:09 – Why traditional recovery failed 33:56 – Losing family, home, and identity 36:00 – Staying awake for days on cocaine 38:30 – Cocaine-induced paranoia and psychosis 42:10 – “This isn’t what cocaine promised” 44:20 – Rock bottom and emotional collapse 46:55 – Rehab, relapse, and reality 49:05 – Visualising recovery and future identity 51:22 – Is addiction a disease? 55:00 – Why one-size-fits-all recovery doesn’t work 59:57 – Alcohol vs cocaine: brain differences 01:08:11 – Why stimulant addiction needs a different approach 01:24:26 – Ice baths, dopamine, and recovery 01:26:00 – Public accountability and staying clean 01:28:30 – Building Ice Bath Harry online 01:31:40 – Identity, shame, and self-belief 01:32:30 – What addiction really is 01:34:00 – Fatherhood, meaning, and closing message Elliott 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, or surface-level explanations. Elliott’s work focuses on the psychological, behavioural, and neurobiological mechanisms that drive cocaine addiction, including dopamine dysregulation, compulsive habit loops, impulsivity, identity reinforcement, and relapse conditioning. His approach is highly individualised, evidence-informed, and fundamentally different from generic coaching, peer-led advice, or one-size-fits-all recovery programmes based on someone else’s story. He has appeared as an addiction expert across major UK broadcasters including ITV, BBC, Sky News, and Sky Living, and is a published author in the field of addiction. Over 90% of Elliott’s patients work with him online, meaning private, one-to-one treatment is accessible to clients across the United States and worldwide, without the need for travel. If you’d like to watch a video explaining how Elliott’s one-to-one programme works, or to enquire about private treatment, send a WhatsApp: UK: 07875 751960 International: +44 7875 751960