Zach Oliver's childhood was a nightmare of chaos and violence. Growing up in a working-class family, his life took a dark turn when he was just five years old. His mother, battling post-natal depression, spiralled into alcoholism. The loving mother he once knew transformed into a monster before his eyes.

"She turned into just an insane woman around the house," Zach recalls, his voice heavy with pain. "Pissing in the kitchen bin, standing up, looking out of love and ahead of you know, I'm just, like, witnessing it, like I'm not there."

She family home became a battleground. Zach's father, returning from work, would find a trashed house and children with dirty nappies. The situation quickly escalated into a vile, abusive relationship marked by daily violence.

"There's just violence every day," Zach says, his words painting a vivid picture of the terror he endured. "And that was the same with all of us."

The abuse Zach suffered was horrific and relentless. He recounts one particularly harrowing incident: "He smashed my mom's head through the bathroom sink, through downstairs, through the patio window over here."

This brutality continued for five long years, from when Zach was just 5 to 10 years old. The trauma of those years would shape his life in ways he couldn't have imagined.

In a twisted attempt to protect her son, Zach's mother made a devastating claim during one of the beatings. "At the end of the horrible beating they gave my mom, she told him that I wasn't his son," Zach reveals. This lie, meant to shield him, only intensified his father's focus on hurting him.

Zach's childhood innocence was shattered by the constant violence and fear. "I lost my sweetness," he admits, reflecting on the transformation from a loving, affectionate child to a hardened survivor.

The cycle of abuse seemed endless. Nights were punctuated by hasty escapes to women's shelters, only to return home weeks later. Each time, Zach lost a piece of himself.

This traumatic childhood laid the foundation for Zach's future struggles with addiction. At just 15, he found solace in cocaine, marking the beginning of a 15-year battle that would nearly cost him everything.

Zach's story is a stark reminder of the long-lasting impact of childhood trauma and the insidious nature of addiction. But it's also a testament to the human spirit's resilience and the possibility of redemption.

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:14 - Zach's Childhood
00:07:07 - How Trauma Influenced Using Drugs
00:11:06 - How The Drug Usage Escalated 
00:18:55 - How Addiction Affected Friends and Family
00:20:22 - Finances and Business After Being Clean
00:22:25- The Turning Point of Addiction
00:27:08 - Friendships and Sobriety
00:28:27 - How Life Has Changed Now That You're Clean
00:33:07 - Routine To Keep Clean 
00:37:28 - Self Help Book on Addiction
00:39:19 - Nature vs Nurture Regarding Addiction
00:49:06 - Advice For Those Who Struggle With Cocaine Addiction