AN INSPIRATIONAL Drongan man who turned to drugs in his teens and battled with addiction for almost two decades has formed a new support group to help others on the road to recovery.

Lee Borthwick abused cocaine for more than 17 years, before making the life-changing decision to stop last year.

Now 33, he has recently launched Unity Connections, which aims to assist people struggling with a range of issues.

Lee Borthwick wants to help others.Lee Borthwick wants to help others (Image: Submitted)“I took my first line of cocaine when I was 15," he said.

"I’m now 33 and I battled addiction right up until last year. And then I went to cocaine anonymous and started my journey."

The premise of the group centres around cold water therapy and getting together with people to share their issues.

Lee's mindset has changed recently and he had the idea to create the group following a random trip to Ayr one weekend.

He said: “My whole thinking changed and then I went into Ayr one Saturday at about half 6 in the morning.

“I met this homeless guy and then I went for a coffee with him. I told people that I knew in the coffee shop that it was one of my friends and it made the world of difference to him.

“Then I went into the sea for a cold water dip and then went to the Citadel for a sauna and steam. I did that once and then the amount of people that said how great that sounded was unbelievable.

“I started Unity Connections and now it’s become so popular.

“The group is only about two-and-a-half-months old and now we’ve got more than 1,200 followers."

The group is growing.The group is growing (Image: Submitted)

The father-of-one wants to make sure he can support people going through any kind of difficult situation in their life, and wants to stress that it's a group for everyone.

Having battled through dark thoughts of his own in the past, Lee is keen to make sure people don't suffer in silence.

He added: “I’ve lost a lot of people close to me to suicide. The group’s not based around any single issue, that’s why I want to make sure it’s opened out to as many people as possible.

“Whether it is someone recovering from addiction, homelessness, financial issues or any other mental health problem then they’re more than welcome to come along. It really is for everyone.

“I know how hard it can be to open up. I had a suicide attempt at one point, so the reason I started the group was to help in any way I can.

“My motto is ‘recover loudly so people don’t die quietly’ because it’s happening far too often.

“Cold water therapy is being used in rehabs, so it really can help with recovery."

Although the group is in its infancy, there are already plans in the pipeline to grow it.

Lee continued: “A guy called Shaun Payne made a donation to the cause recently and my aim is to turn it into a registered charity.

“Moving forward, I’d be aiming to have actual meetings and groups for people to have a chat.

“If one person sees this and it helps them, then it’s done its job. We’re not going to be able to help everybody, but helping somebody is a good place to start.

“I can’t make these changes for people. I can only show them the right path, and then they put in the work to help themselves.

“One of my friends, Keith Murphy, does a lot to help the group, so hopefully we can build on the work that’s been done so far, and help even more people."