Asking for help to beat cocaine and booze was toughest thing I've ever done

Dad, 48, dedicates his life to helping others after mental health struggles

- LOUISE WALSH

A MAN who has turned his life around after battling drugs and alcohol has said asking for help was the "hardest and best thing I've ever done".

Trevor Macken once sold a property abroad to fund his drugs and alcohol addiction.

But almost 10 years later, he founded a Cocaine Anonymous group in Co Meath, where he and his brother run a successful business.

With a following of 90,000 on the Ashbourne Paving TikTok page, Trevor can be seen dancing on fun posts, but also highlighting what he calls the "pandemic" of mental health issues, especially in men.

The 48-year-old has lost six male friends to suicide. And during his darkest time planned to take his own life several times, once on the River Liffey, where he was talked out of jumping by passersby.

It's over 10 years since his first failed attempt at recovery in a treatment centre in Thailand.