EPISODE 6: Neil Walsh

This week Dr Una turns her attention to 30-year-old account manager Neil Walsh. Neil thought that his party-hard lifestyle was helping him to get over his recent split with his girlfriend.

Neil admitted to drinking excessively at least five times a week, consuming a shocking 140 units per week. That’s the equivalent of 70 pints of lager. He also confessed to a two gram-a-week cocaine habit. Dr Una could tell just by looking at him that Neil’s partying was wreaking havoc on the inside of his body. His face was puffy, he had a sallow complexion, his eyes were bloodshot and he was jittery.

Dr Una conducted some simple balance and co-ordination tests, revealing that Neil’s habits had already had a detrimental effect on his brain function. He also had fatty infiltration in his liver, and based on her findings Dr Una put his death age at just 57, a shocking 27 years before his time.

Tim and Dr Una realised that Neil was using cocaine and alcohol to boost his self-esteem. To help him gain confidence they prescribed an exercise plan to induce a natural high and a diet rich in mood-enhancing foods.

Despite a good start Neil was secretly filmed in a club two weeks later, so drunk that he couldn’t even remember being there. Busted and ashamed, Neil was determined to get back on track. Focussed on getting fit, he worked harder at the gym and sticked to his diet. He also visited an addiction specialist to help him understand his issues. Then Dr Una surprised him with a random test, which proved he was clean.

After eight weeks Neil’s flab was replaced with solid muscle, his pecks and shoulders were more defined and his balance had improved. New scans revealed that his liver was functioning normally and his brain function was improving after quitting cocaine. Best of all he had increased his life expectancy by 20 years, to 77. Neil had turned his life around. “I don’t need drugs now. Where I was two months ago compared with today is worlds apart. I had some counselling, which was really good for me. It was all about limitation and moderating
my intake. I’ve learnt to set limits,” he says.

Tests And Tips

Balance and coordination test:

Put your arms out in front of you with your fingers apart, close your eyes and try to keep still. If your fingers tremble it is a sign of possible substance abuse.

Now keep your eyes close and your arms out and try to stand on one foot for three seconds. If you find this difficult it could be a sign that your brain function has been impaired.

Cocaine facts:

Mixing cocaine and alcohol produces the chemical cocaethlyene, which can be fatal.

Regular cocaine users are seven times more likely to have a heart attack than non-drug users.

3 grams of cocaine a week costs about £5200 per year. This is twice the average family’s budget for food.

It is estimated that there are 755,000 cocaine users in the UK.

Signs of cocaine abuse:

Changes in behaviour such as nervousness, irritability and depression.

Loss of appetite and weight loss, possibly resulting in malnutrition.

Damage to nasal cavities, at worse resulting in the septum collapsing.

You might be surprised to hear some other interesting body facts

Thanks to Preventicum, London Centre of Preventive Medicine, for providing medical services.