For Kaitlin Reeve, a 39-year-old mother living in Surrey, the routine act of vacuuming her home required a dangerous ritual: snorting a line of cocaine. Her two-decade struggle with addiction saw her spending up to £200 every day on cocaine and cannabis, a secret she maintained while raising three children and working as an estate agent.
The Descent into a Double Life
Ms Reeve's relationship with substances began early. She started drinking alcohol in year five, smoked cigarettes from age 11, tried cannabis at 15, and was introduced to cocaine at just 16 years old while working as a club promoter in Kensington, London. The drug made her feel "grown up" and part of a glamorous world, but it swiftly took hold.
At the peak of her addiction, she was consuming between half a gram and three grams of cocaine daily. She went to extraordinary lengths to conceal her habit, even hiding stashes behind light fittings. "Most days, I was getting the kids ready for school on very little or no sleep," she recalled. "I needed a line to do the cleaning. It was the only way I could muster up the energy."
She described her drug use as being "as normal as a cup of tea," admitting she often used at work. Despite the chaos, she managed to hold down jobs and maintain the outward appearance of a functioning parent, taking her children on days out. Inside, however, she felt numb, sad, and profoundly depressed. "Other people would say 'Kaitlin does this with her kids' - but inside I was dying," she said.
The High Cost and the Turning Point
The financial toll was immense, costing between £20 and £200 per day—money she believes could have bought a house. The physical and mental cost was greater. Her health deteriorated, her face turned grey, and her lips turned blue from sniffing. Paranoia set in; she heard things and felt constantly watched.
The turning point came three years ago during a "moment of clarity" while she was smoking a joint in her garden. "I was enlightened and I thought 'you're going to kill yourself and this is your opportunity to turn this around'," she explained. Her greatest fear had been that seeking help would mean losing her children. "All I ever wanted to be was a good mum," she said.
Summoning immense courage, she walked into a recovery group meeting. "I said 'I'm Ms Reeve and I'm an addict' and I surprised myself," she recounted. Discovering others who had walked the same path and found happiness gave her hope.
A National Crisis and a Personal Recovery
Ms Reeve's story unfolds against a stark national backdrop. The UK has the second highest rate of cocaine use in the world, according to the United Nations. An estimated one in 40 British adults uses the drug, with the National Crime Agency reporting the country snorts around 117 tonnes of cocaine per year.
The drug's dangers are severe. It creates a powerful psychological addiction, and long-term use can lead to paranoia, insomnia, and devastating physical damage. Regular snorting can cause vasculitis, inflaming blood vessels in the nose and potentially burning holes through the septum.
Now three years sober, Ms Reeve is training to become a therapist and uses social media to share her recovery journey. She supports others through a 12-step fellowship. "Recovery has given me freedom," she stated. "I don't have a big house or fancy cars but I have peace. I have a brilliant relationship with my children."
She reflects on the years lost to addiction with painful honesty, acknowledging she was "often lazy as a parent." Her motivation now is to prevent other families from enduring similar pain. "If I can help another woman and her children not to go through what some other children have to go through, then me sharing my story is worth it," she affirmed.
