Dad who started on drugs aged 10 is now 12 years sober – his transformation is incredible

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John Foskett is now 12 years sober and the dad has revealed his incredible transformation that left people with 'goosebumps' when he shared pictures on social media this week

For John Foskett, the difference between two photographs is about far more than his appearance. The dad, who became hooked on drugs aged just 10, says he can still recognise the pain in his eyes in the older picture — but no longer feels it today.

Now 32 and sober for 12 years, John, from County Cork, Ireland, is using his experience to offer hope to others battling addiction. His message is simple: "There's no such thing as a hopeless case."

He shared the before-and-after images on TikTok this week, writing: "I think this is what the young people call a glow up." The earlier photograph shows him in his 20s, looking gaunt and frail. In the more recent image, he looks markedly healthier — a contrast that prompted an outpouring of support from followers.

One wrote: "My days goosebumps what a man brother." Others responded with "wow what a transformation" and "Insane to come back from that."

John told the this reporter: "Obviously it was nice to get so much good reaction to my transformation post and I'm incredibly grateful for all the nice comments. A huge part of my podcast is to get the message out there that there's no such thing as a hopeless case and I'm living proof of that."

His recovery followed years of addiction that began with sniffing solvents and petrol as a child. He later became dependent on benzodiazepine and cocaine, and his use of drugs eventually left him waking up each morning wishing he was dead.

At his lowest point, John weighed just over seven stone. Desperate to help, his mother bought him cider and tobacco on one condition: he had to give an addiction counsellor one final chance.

That intervention, alongside support from three treatment centres, helped him get clean. Looking back, he says continuing to take drugs had become harder than pursuing recovery.

Speaking last year about the older photograph, John said: "What really catches me is my eyes. When I look at the picture before I stopped taking drugs, to this day, I can still feel the pain that I…

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