Portsmouth FC fan kicks cocaine addiction by taking ice bath every day for 600 days

A Waterlooville dad who spent more than half a million pounds on cocaine and microdosed before the school run has frozen his drug addiction - by taking an ice bath for 600 consecutive days.

Harry Beattie, 33, was drinking heavily, gambling and taking cocaine for around 15 years. He realised he had a problem at the age of 21 - and spent the next ten years trying to get clean.

He said he was spending more than £3,000 a month on the class A drug and gambling hundreds of thousands of pounds on Blackjack, roulette, poker and slots. At one stage, Harry even wagered over £154,000 in gambling debts in one week.

Over the course of his addiction period, he spent over £500,000 on cocaine alone and revealed he would microdose from the "moment I woke up" even before the school run.

Despite trying everything to aid his recovery, the dad-of-two said the only tool which proved successful was sitting in an ice bath daily. The content creator now shares his daily cold water plunges with his hundreds of thousands of followers on social media with the goal to inspire others to get clean.

Harry said: "I tried everything: from fellowship meetings to rehab, hypnotherapy, counselling, changing girlfriends, jobs - everything but me.

"People around me thought I’d die a drug addict - but ice baths have saved my life. It is truly a miracle that I've done it. I am still recovering and trying to stay clean one day at a time to be a good example to my children."

Harry first started taking drugs when he was 17 - but what started off as small doses soon became a regular daily occurrence and a dependency. Harry said he was spending all of his monthly income on cocaine when he was working as a sales rep in a high-pressure sales environment - for a double glazing company bringing home £80k a year.

The dad-of-two said: "I couldn't stop. I was microdosing from the second I woke up - even before the school run. It's a progressive illness. Especially in the industry I was in, everyone was taking drugs and it was impossible to get away from.

"I was living to use and using to live. If I had £4 in my bank I would borrow £1 to make the minimum deposit of £5 to try and spin it up into £40 to buy another half a gram of cocaine. There were times I span £5 into £950, and lost the whole £950 trying to round it up to £1,000. Borrowing from family, ticking from dealers and selling my possessions to cash converters to get my next fix. It was complete desperation leading to complete destruction."

Harry would go on drug and gambling benders where he would leave his partner to "go to the shops" and not come back for days.

He said: "I remember when my son's mother would kick me out of the house, and I would go and sleep in my car or in the garage - where I would be snorting cocaine until the early hours and urinating into empty beer bottles. I was stuck in the same cycle of insanity."

Harry described hitting rock bottom before he embarked on his ice bath and recovery journey.

He said: "I had multiple suicide attempts and would just lie and manipulate the people around me. The lies I told were horrific but it was all out of pure desperation and loneliness."

At the end of 2018, Harry was kicked out of the house by his fiancée.

In 2020, he did a 28 treatment programme in rehab and when he came out of rehab, he left 30 days clean but within two months Harry relapsed.

On 1 August 2022, he decided to go to court to try and agree access to his son who at that point he hadn’t seen for over two years. He was told by the judge to get clean for six months - and then he could see his son. But that evening Harry made the decision to leave court and ring the dealer.

He said: "It was supposed to be one last time - but that decision I made had a two year consequence. I just couldn't stop and I regret it every day."

Years later, in 2024, Harry conducted some research into the potential of ice baths to aid recovery. He decided to reach out to companies and see if they would provide him with a free ice bath if he filmed himself taking ice baths daily to document his progress. One company obliged, and Harry took his first cold plunge on 21 July 2024.

He said: "I remember getting into that cold water and getting out five minutes later and feeling incredible. I just had this surge of energy and felt my cortisol reducing. The cold water gives you a dopamine hit you see - which replaced what I was lacking due to prolonged drug abuse. I felt great and didn't use that day."

Harry filmed the experience, and posted it on TikTok under a new account ‘Ice Bath Harry’. He then repeated this the day after, and started speaking to the camera about the reality of his situation.

He said: "I got vulnerable and spoke about how I felt and people could relate to me."

In 16 days, Harry's account amassed 10k followers - and today his following is well over 400k.

Harry said: "I have never looked back since that day. I haven't used since: no drugs, no drink, no gambling."

Six months into his journey, Harry reunited with his son Travis, five years after he last saw him, after providing a clean drugs test to his ex-fiancée - who agreed to meet him outside of court. He now sees Travis regularly and has him sleep over every other weekend.

Harry is also celebrating the birth of his "miracle" baby with his partner Felicity Ramsey, 32 - who he met in rehab. Felicity also got clean the same day Harry took his first ice-bath - and the pair support each other everyday to maintain their wellness journey.

The ice bath and mental health enthusiast explained how the cold water still gives him a shock after 600 days. However, he says the icy plunge still fires off "feel-good hormones" and facilitates routine in his life.

He said: "It's still uncomfortable today but it makes me feel great. I would say more so now it's about routine, structure, accountability and discipline. There are times when I haven't wanted to do it but I know that when I do it I feel better for it. It’s about showing up for myself one day at a time - and I’m proud to say I’ve not missed a single day. You just feel an incredible sense of achievement when you get in. I still feel the adrenaline - it makes me feel giddy!"

The longest ice bath Harry has been able to endure lasted 18 minutes in water that was just two degrees. He now helps others take ice baths safely in his mental health workshops and partakes in public speaking across the UK and further afield to share his story and inspire others.

He said: "I had no idea that taking an ice bath would take me to where I am now. What motivates me is helping people tap into their potential. I take pride in having a 100 per cent success rate in getting every single newbie through their first ever ice bath in my workshops. It allows people to unlock that super power they didn't think they had.

"Too many people are doing drugs to escape the mundane life they have created for themselves and it's sad. But we are creating a community and educating people of the alternatives. I am hoping to take this around the world. The chilly club is just getting started and you are all invited - let's Geddit!"

You can follow Harry's journey here: https://www.instagram.com/icebathharry/

When life is difficult, Samaritans can be contacted day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at [email protected], or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.