The 'sober raves' changing clubbing in Greater Manchester - and the incredible story behind them
Ben Riley was sure he’d be dead by 40. But then that’s what a £600 a day cocaine habit will do to you. Over the past 25 years, he’s been homeless, a successful club promoter and record label owner, addicted to crack and heroin, a rapper, an MC, an alcoholic, a convicted shoplifter and more recently the director of a community interest company, or CIC.
It was smoking cannabis that seemed to calm the chaos in his brain, so of course that continued in earnest once the inconvenience of formal education was out of the way. Then it was drinking, then LSD, then speed, then ecstasy, then cocaine. He came out clean. It didn’t last long. When he arrived back in Stockport, he found his benefits had stacked up in a post office account and he was flush with money. He was instantly back to the cycle of drinking, crack and heroin.
Under the name SOS, he began a career as a drum and bass MC, booked up and down the country. He founded a record label and began going into pupil referral units and prisons teaching business and music production via his company, also called SOS. Things were going well, he was sober, he was making money, he was helping young people like himself and had an outlet for his creativity at last. Then he relapsed.
He was back in Stockport, now scratching around for £20 a day of heroin. None of this was caused by a turbulent upbringing. His dad was an engineer, his mum a pharmacist at Boots, and it was a large, loving family. Saturdays were spent at his nan’s, who would make hotpots and bread and butter pudding. “They say addiction is a family disease,” he says. “It just tears through them. Tears them apart. It was horrific for them.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Peter Andre leaves Ben Shephard wowed with his age ahead of birthday milestonePeter Andre appeared on Friday's episode of ITV chat show Good Morning Britain to discuss his incredible 30-year career and his upcoming birthday milestone later this month
Read more »
Anonymous team boss on FIA president: 'Everyone thinks he's got to go'The F1 paddock is said to want Mohammed Ben Sulayem ousted as the FIA president as there is 'widespread disgust'.
Read more »
Susanna Reid 'left furious' on GMB set after embarrassing mistakesGood Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid is said to have lost her temper with her colleagues in the wake of several on-air mistakes, including the misspelling of Ben Chapman's name
Read more »