A grandfather who's addicted to Lucozade says it's harder to give up than class A drugs.
Garry Johnson, 65, began drinking coffee aged 12 and loved the caffeine buzz.
The now-retired painter and decorator took cocaine and amphetamines in his teens, and after 15 years of on-off drug use went 'cold turkey' when his son Sam was born in 1992.
READ MORE: 'My cocaine-addicted husband left me for his counsellor after I got him help'
Keen to stay energised, he took up drinking 380ml bottle bottles of Lucozade Original – and now necks eight a day.
He's had the habit for 29 years and it currently costs him around £150 a month.
And at today's prices, his nearly three decade habit would have cost him more than £42,800.
He had three heart attacks between 2012 and 2014 because of a hereditary heart condition, and doctors encouraged him to ditch caffeinated drinks.
Garry gave up dairy and every other form of caffeine – but he still necks more than three litres of Lucozade a day.
He said Lucozade is proving harder to give up than class A drugs – because of the "after effect – like that lovely feeling in your mouth after you eat an expensive bit of chocolate."
Garry, from Basildon, Essex, said: "I took cocaine every day but it was a piece of cake to give up – but I'd find it really hard to ever give up Lucozade.
"I love it – not just the taste but the affect on my body makes me feel great.
"If I do go two or three hours without one, I fancy one – God knows how I'd be after two days.
"Lucozade is the thing I wont give up.
"I'm still full of energy at 65 and people say I look 50!"
Single dad-of-three Garry was "obsessed" with David Bowie, who was known for his class-A habits and started taking speed and cocaine aged 15.
He said: "When I watched him play Starman as Ziggy Stardust on Top Of The Pops, my life changed overnight.
"I like to be up all the time, so I always liked stimulants, like David Bowie.
"After starting on speed, I would take cocaine six or seven nights a week, every week.
"It just gave me a buzz before I went out – I even took cocaine on my wedding day."
Garry stopped aged 30, when his son Sam, now 31, was born and went cold turkey because being a new dad was "stimulant enough".
He started drinking Red Bull but found himself with migraines – and eventually moved onto Lucozade.
He initially drank six a day, but has had eight a day for the last seven years.
Now he goes to Tesco every day and buys one or two four-packs – depending how many bottles he already has stacked up in the fridge ready to drink.
"I've always needed some kind of stimulant and eventually I realised Lucozade is perfect for me," he said.
"After my heart attacks they told me to quit the energy drinks but I recently had new heart tests and my results are better than they've ever been.
"I guess I've just found one that suits my body."
But Garry said he doesn't even want to give up because it's a "part of his identity" – like a person's favourite shirt or their daily breakfast.
Get all the biggest Lifestyle news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the free Daily Star Hot Topics newsletter
He justifies the cost because he doesn't drink alcohol or smoke.
He said: "£5 a day – that's less than a pint of beer today in some places."
At a more recent doctor's appointment, Garry said tests revealed his heart is working perfectly.
The grandfather-of-two also said he is mistaken for being 15 years younger than he is – which he puts down to drinking Lucozade rather than drinking or smoking.
Garry said: "I've got a full head of hair and my hair is black as it always was, there's not a grey hair in it.
"Don’t know if that’s to do with the Lucozade or not, but it could be!"
Source: Read Full Article
