A "happy-go-lucky" father who had been struggling with drug abuse died after resorting to swallowing cocaine, an inquest heard.
Adam Price, 27, was described by family as a "doting dad" with a "heart of gold" who would "do anything for anyone", but had sadly fallen into substance abuse after the breakdown of a relationship.
A coroner heard how the dad-of-two was found unresponsive at his home in Barrow, Cumbria, by his partner, Ella, who had to give him mouth-to-mouth in an attempt to resuscitate him.
The court heard Mr Price, who had been ingesting up to 3g of the Class A drug at a time, had started swallowing it orally after his nose collapsed.
While those close to him hoped the incident would be a "wake up call", he soon fell back into drug use, Lancs Live reports.
His mum told the inquest how his condition deteriorated in the last 14 months of his life.
She said Adam told her he had begun swallowing cocaine as a hole he'd developed in his septum meant his was unable to sniff the drug.
In October 2022, Adam was found unresponsive at the bottom of the stairs at home on Stackwood Avenue, Barrow. He was later pronounced dead despite the best efforts of his mum Tracey, Ella and emergency services.
Cockermouth Coroners' Court heard how Adam struggled with drug abuse on-and-off for a few years. After meeting with the Dane Garth unit, he had managed to get his life back on track. But a short time later he relapsed and started swallowing cocaine.
Mum Tracey told the court: "He was a cheeky boy [as a child]. He was a proper lads lad and enjoyed things like cars and bikes. Adam became a dad at 19 when his first son was born and then had a second child.
"Adam doted on both his boys, they were his life.
"Although Adam was no longer with the boys' mum they remained civil and had a good relationship. Adam was a happy-go-lucky lad with a cheeky smile and a heart of gold.
"He would help anyone with anything and was highly thought of by anyone who knew him."
Talking about Adam's struggle with drugs, Tracey went on to say: "Not long after they got together, Adam and [his partner] Ella had taken cocaine.
"From this point on he continued using cocaine. Things were very up and down in their relationship. Things got a lot worse for Adam over the last 14 months, he was speaking with Dane Garth at the start of the year after suffering drug psychosis.
"After Dane Garth Adam managed to turn things around, I don't know what triggered it but Adam managed to get back on track.
"He managed to get back to work and everything was good with him and Ella, he was back to the old Adam. Things then started going downhill between them.
"Adam ended up using drugs again, mainly cocaine as far as I am aware.
"Due to drug use and taking cocaine, Adam's nose had a hole in his septum. A week before he died Adam was looking in the mirror at home and showing me the hole in his nose. Adam told me that due to not being able to sniff cocaine he used to swallow it."
The court heard that on one occasion he had taken a substantial amount of the drug. His partner at the time, Ella, tried to give him mouth-to-mouth after finding him collapsed on the floor.
This triggered his relationship with the Dane Garth unit, something that Ella described as a "wake-up call for him." She said:
"Adam was a good person but clearly the drugs took hold of him."
On the day he died (October 29, 2022), Adam was found at home at the bottom of the stairs unresponsive. He was later pronounced dead despite the best efforts of his mum Tracey, Ella and emergency services.
He was transferred to Furness General Hospital where it was confirmed Adam was brain dead and the ventilator he had been placed on would soon be turned off.
Concluding the case, assistant Coroner Margaret Taylor said: "He was one of seven children, someone who loved cars and in his earlier life the outdoor life. He became a father himself at the very young age of 19. His children were the centre of his life.
Although he had previously not taken drugs or drunk but then he got a taste for cocaine and that started to be a problem in his life. His mental health deteriorated.
"Mental health services do seem to have helped him. He got back in touch with his girlfriend and it appears they argued the day before his death.
You clearly did all that you could, the ambulance was called, he was taken to hospital, a CT scan, but he wasn't going to wake up. I'm so sorry."
Ms Taylor recorded the death as a drugs-related death.
