Dad thought nose 'would fall off' after spending £625,000 on drugs
Warning: This article contains graphic images and video which some readers may find distressing.
A dad who snorted around £1,500 of cocaine a week feared his nose would 'fall off' due to the severity of his drug habit.
Lee Firth can now fit a toothbrush in between his nostrils due to the hole that years of excessive cocaine use has caused.
The dad, aged 40, said friends had first introduced him to the party drug when he was 21 and he 'took a liking to it' straight away.
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As his usage escalated, he said he became so paranoid he would barricade himself in hotel rooms fearing people would attack him.
The construction worker started taking the drug on his own after his mum died in 2007 and his usage escalated further after the tragic death of two of his children in 2019 and 2020.
It was then he started splashing out around £1,500 a week on the class A drug and snorting between four and seven grams a day, triggering nose bleeds and pain in his eyes and ears due to the addiciton.
Despite noticing a hole in his septum in 2022, the dad-of-four continued using, leaving a gap so wide he could fit a toothbrush handle through it.
His drug addiction cost him his construction company in 2023 and his marriage, with the couple splitting in 2024.
After Lee's son heartbreakingly asked 'Daddy, why don't you love us anymore?' he explained he was determined to quit the drug.
Lee went 'cold turkey' in January 2026 and changed his phone number so he couldn't contact friends he used with.
"I lost everything"
Clean now for seven months, Lee says he wants to share his story online to help others who are also struggling. The dad from Somerset said: "I was using it for 20 years but the last five years got really bad, using 4-7 grams a day.
"I shone a torch up my nose and saw the light come through from the other side of my septum. That's when I realised 'I've got a hole in my nose', I was worrying like hell.
"I was thinking my nose was going to fall off, I was panicking but I still carried on using it.
"I lost my business, lost my wife, lost my kids, I lost everything because of my drug issues. It was my own fault.
"I lost my company in 2023, I was spending money I didn't have, I was never turning up to site. I built this lovely empire and bit by bit it fell apart.
"My wife left me because she couldn't have the kids seeing their dad in that mess. When I rang my son and he said 'Daddy, why don't you love us anymore?' It broke my heart, that was the turning point for me."
Initially, Lee started using the drug socially with friends in 2006, but then increased his usage over the years. He explained: "I got into it through friends using it, I took a liking to it straight away.
"In the end I was barricading myself in hotel rooms thinking that people were going to attack me. I went through quite a lot of stuff in the last 20 years.
"I lost my mum and I became addicted to using cocaine and alcohol. In 2019 I lost my son Oakley and lost Princess in 2020. I started using every day and buried my head in the sand.
"I started getting pains and nose bleeds. It started from my temples to the back of my eyes, my nose, all around my teeth. Earache, all of my sinuses. My whole face was in constant pain."
"I changed my number and focused on my wife and kids"
Despite having unsuccessfully tried rehab previously, Lee was determined to get clean once and for all.
He told of how he locked himself away for two weeks in his room, and it became the 'best thing I've ever done'.
"I had sweats, vivid dreams, and had to change my circle of friends. I dropped them a message and said 'our friendship is done'," he said. "I changed my phone number and focused on my wife and kids every day."
A septal button procedure, where the septum is replaced with a soft silicone or plastic device, is now an option but Lee said there's an NHS waiting list.
Lee explained: "I went to the hospital and they did various tests. They said that I could get [septal] button surgery but it was on an NHS waiting list and I had to be clean for at least 12 months.
"There is nothing I can do about it. I have looked into surgery in Istanbul but I need a full nose reconstruction and I don't want to go through that.
"It causes horrendous snoring and my nose gets blocked up really easily. I get whistling sounds through my nose when I'm speaking and I don't even realise.
"The pain I was going through at the time was absolutely awful, I had never experienced pain like that."
Since quitting cocaine and cutting ties with pals he used to hang around with, Lee got back together with his wife in March 2026. He's now sharing his ordeal online to help others struggling with addiction.
Lee said: "The first couple of months are the hardest, once you admit you have a problem you are on your way to recovery.
"If you've got anyone around you need to let them know. There are people that the first thing they do in the morning is message me.
"I am getting hundreds of messages from people saying they don't know who to speak to and I'm giving them as much information as I can.
"There's definitely a lot more awareness that needs to be out there about this. How many people are suffering in silence is unbelievable."
James Holt