Drongan: Lee Borthwick Unity Connections opening night

Lee Borthwick used cocaine for almost two decades, before making the life-changing decision to stop last year.

His mum, Tracy, was a key component in him breaking away from drug use.

Although Tracy was never involved in the addiction directly, it had a completely different effect on her life.

Lee and mum Tracy will open up about their experiences (Image: Unity Connections) Lee recently launched Unity Connections, which aims to assist people struggling with a range of issues.

Despite the group being in its infancy, he is already planning for the future.

“It’s been a whirlwind few weeks, but it’s been amazing," Lee said.

“I’ve got my application in to make Unity Connections an official charity and the feedback has honestly been amazing."

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

Lee has been busy helping people through the group (Image: Unity Connections) As part of their movement, Lee will be holding an official opening night for the group in Ochiltree next month.

On the evening, Lee will share personal information about his addiction.

On top of that, Tracy will divulge what life was like living with Lee during this time, and the daily battle to get her son out the grasp of his addiction.

Lee admits it was vital for his mum to share the effects an addiction can have on more than just the person taking the drugs.

He said: “We’ve got a few things planned going forward, but this opening night is really for people to come along and hear about my story, if they haven’t already.

“But one of the important things for this night was to include my mum’s voice in this.

“I struggled with addiction for 17 years, but she struggled in a different way for those 17 years.

“She’s going to speak about how it was to live with me, and how she learned things along the way about what would help me and support me better.

“It’s so important to stress that addiction doesn’t just affect the person taking the drugs, it’s a whole network of people like close family and friends, work colleagues and much more."

Lee is on his own road to recovery (Image: Unity Connections) The event will take place on Thursday, December 12 from 6-9pm at Ochiltree Bowling Club, and is free to attend.

The father-of-one is determined for the group to have a lasting impact on as many people as possible.

Lee added: “Like I said before, if one person comes along to this and it makes a difference in their life, then it’s done its job.

“It’s a night that’s open to anybody to come along, have a chat and a listen and hopefully learn some valuable lessons about what it’s like living with an addiction.

“Even if it’s somebody who’s not directly affected, it could help them deal with other people differently.

“We’re just trying to reach as many people as possible, and this opening night is the next step along that way.”