I nearly died after 22 hours slumped next to a radiator - it was a turning point

Spencer Lowry had a 28-year battle with drug addiction when a brush with death acted as the catalyst for him changing his life for the better.

- Robert Dalling reports

WAKING up from a drug-induced coma, Spencer Lowry found himself covered in severe burns all over his body after spending 22 hours unconscious against a radiator.

The traumatic incident was at the height of a 28-year battle with drug addiction. And it was the moment he knew that something had to change.

"It ruined me, my body," said Spencer.

"I had pressure marks on my knees and feet, half my shoulder too - I've only got half a shoulder there because I was against a radiator for 22 hours. I was dying. Then someone found me."

Before he reached his moment of realisation, Spencer's life had been spiralling out of control.

After enduring highly-traumatic childhood experiences, he left his home aged just 15 "going from sofa to sofa and street to street".

He recollected a time he would sleep rough outside a Granada TV shop in Swansea city centre looking in at the television sets.

Wanting to escape his reality, Spencer, originally from Swansea and now of Skewen, would experiment with the use of substances, including crack cocaine and heroin, which he explained "started to take control of his life very quickly".

Without any guidance or support, he ended up in prison within a year - a cycle that would reoccur and define his life for years to come.

"I didn't see it as addiction for a long time - for years," he said.

"I went into prison when I was 16, and came out in my 17th year, and I started buying Valium from people, which started me off on a journey then where drugs were getting different. I ended up on a prescription of Valium at just 17.

"It was just about an escape and changing the way you feel. I found the escapism in it.

"By the time I was getting to my 30s and 40s, it became a real issue for me.

"It was really controlling everything really. My first thought in the morning was: 'Where will I get something today?' and the last thought at night: 'Where will I get something tomorrow?'