A former drug and alcohol addict is using his boxing passion to help others struggling with addiction.
Prior to getting hooked on drink and drugs, Coatbridge dad Samuel Buchanan was a sporting star on the rise. The aspiring boxer said he hurt his loved ones when he became locked in a decade of 'carnage' which finally led to them telling him to leave.
The 39-year-old said there were days when he considered taking his own life as things in his life spiralled. It wasn't until after a run-in with the police, that he managed to turn his life around.
He told Glasgow Live: "I threw my boxing career away. I tried to get back into it but the drink and drug use got worse as the years went on.
"I went off the rails after I lost my mum, drinking and taking cocaine every day, causing absolute chaos. It got to the point where my family said to me that I needed to go so that's when I moved to Eastbourne.
"For about five years I was still doing drink and drugs, I was intoxicated all the time. I never accepted that I had a problem because I would always go to work and the gym.
"After moving down south, trouble I had in Scotland with the police caught up with me five years later and that was the turning point. Throughout my 10 years of carnage I wanted to take my own life at some points.
"At that turning point I had two young kids and I knew that if I didn't change I'd end up in prison or dead.
"When I came back from court in Airdrie I stood in the garden and asked God if he was real could he make this stop and I prayed. Ever since that day I've been clean and sober, but what works for me may not work for everyone."
After a decade of pain, Samuel is now a pillar of the community in Eastbourne. During lockdown he started an open air boxing club to help those going through their own addiction struggles.
Now, he runs the Hailsham Boxing Club, which has gone from strength to strength.
He said: "We started training outside during covid because all the public buildings were shut. I ended up opening up my own gym three years ago. We use exercise and challenges to help support people with their recovery.
"A lot of people say that if you have an addictive personality you'll swap one addiction for another, so my addiction now is to help people through similar experiences I had using boxing. We have six local boxing champions from the gym who have all gone through recovery.
"I also got back in the ring after 21 years at York Hall, I'm even fighting for a British championship soon I feel like there are a lot of people with addiction, like myself, who still have a lot to give."
Stepping back between the ropes was a massive moment for the boxing enthusiast and it has given him the chance to revive his once promising sporting career.
The dad-of-three said: "It was a bit surreal to be honest. I didn't think I still had the skills I had when I was young but I surprised myself.
"As soon as I had my first fight a year ago I got the bug back again."
Samuel once thought he would end up in prison or worse but he is now helping those who have addiction, something he never expected.
He said: "I never thought I'd get here. Sometimes I need to pinch myself to see how far I've come. I don't like to take credit for what I do it's just about pointing people in the right direction.
"There is a lot of stigma surrounding addiction and it can put people off seeking help to get out the hole that they're in. There are people who empathise with what you're going through."
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