Iain Lee has shared a powerful message with his fans, addressing his relapse after using drugs for the first time in two and a half years.
The 47-year-old broadcaster explained he had been sober for 13 years, before briefly relapsing again after a stint on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2017.
For the past two and a half years, Iain has been sober, but suffered a relapse over two recent weekends, as he admitted to using drugs.
Speaking on his music show, The Late Night Alternative, with best friend Katherine Boyle, Iain explained he felt “ashamed” to have relapsed, but wanted to turn his shame to “humility”.
He said: “So here’s the thing, I took drugs. After two and a half years clean, I took drugs. This is awful. It isn’t awful, but I feel awful.
“Last weekend, not the weekend just gone, last weekend, I took some drugs. It wasn’t my drug of choice and it didn’t really do a lot, it gave me a terrible headache, it got me a little bit buzzy and it made me puke.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Iain explained he didn’t feel it was necessary to seek help from his Narcotics Anonymous sponsor after the relapse, and kept the drug use to himself.
The following weekend, he decided to buy cocaine, as he recalled: “After that it was like ‘I’m going to buy some cocaine’. Part of me was like no, no no.”
Iain recalled a voice in his head assured him the drug use would be okay, as he added: “It wasn’t ok. It was horrendous.
“The first 30, 60 minutes were awesome, because cocaine did what cocaine is supposed to do. It made me feel powerful, it made me feel very, very sexy, it made me feel strong and confident.
(Image: iainlee/Instagram)
“But then, you know, 12, 13, 14 hours later when I was still sat at the computer looking at pornography and I was barely able to speak or move, that’s what cocaine does to me.”
Urging others in a similar position to seek help, he added: “I am ashamed but I need to turn that shame into humility. It was horrendous, and I’m really sorry.”
Thankfully, since the relapse, Iain has reached out to his sponsor at NA and opened up about his struggles with his close friends, determined to stay sober.
(Image: mirror.co.uk)
The radio star explained the lockdown had a part to play in his relapse, adding: “A relapse doesn’t happen on the day, it happens three months, six months before, and I should have been more honest about how I was feeling.”
In the comments below the footage, Iain’s subscribers were quick to praise his honesty and bravery in admitting to relapsing, as they encouraged his recovery.
One said: “You relapsed, but you took responsibility and did something about it. That’s a success, not a failure. You know what you need to do to stay sober and you’re motivated to do it. One day at a time mate. All the best.”
“Brave soul Iain talking about this if only others would do too. The worlds a better place with you in it for sure,” added a second.
“Thank you. Iain you speaking candidly like this is very powerful and inspiring to others. Addiction is probaly the only disease people blame you for if you have it. You talking openly takes some of the stigma away,” wrote a third.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk