For 20 years, Matthew Hopkins lived in a constant state of paranoia, violence, and chaos — coked up, tooled up, knives under the pillow, convinced people were coming through the door. Alcohol and cocaine weren’t just part of his weekends, they defined his identity, his relationships, and his sense of safety.

In this follow-up episode of Coming Clean With Me, addiction specialist Elliott Wald sits down with Matthew two years clean, revisiting where he was eight months sober and where he is now. The contrast is stark: new house, new mindset, repaired family relationships, and a calm he says he’d never experienced before.

He speaks openly about curtain switching, hallucinations, carrying knives, sleeping with his foot against the door, and how his paranoia became so severe that even alcohol alone would trigger it. Relationships were toxic, consequences disappeared, and fear became normal.

This episode goes deep into:

• What early sobriety actually feels like
• Anxiety, grief, and fear of a life without drink or drugs
• Why recovery isn’t just stopping — it’s rebuilding
• How hypnosis, environment change, and self-understanding played a role
• The reality of loneliness, growth, and emotional regulation after long-term use

Matthew also talks candidly about:

• Buying his first home
• The shock of mental quiet after chaos
• Turning down cocaine for the first time
• Navigating pubs, weddings, and social environments sober
• Why some people secretly want you to fail

This is a no-gloss, no-influencer recovery story — just lived experience, accountability, and what sustained change actually looks like.

Elliott Wald is a British psychologist, hypnosis expert, and behavioural analyst with over 30 years of clinical experience. He specialises exclusively in the treatment of cocaine addiction via nasal use (snorting) — a form of stimulant addiction that is frequently misunderstood and poorly treated by generic recovery models.

Alongside his formal clinical training, Elliott also brings direct lived experience. He maintained a daily cocaine addiction for 15 years, when he was publicly visible and appearing as an expert on national television. This combination of clinical expertise and first-hand experience allows Elliott to understand stimulant addiction from both a neuropsychological and human perspective — without ideology, moral judgement, or surface-level explanations.

Elliott’s work focuses on the psychological, behavioural, and neurobiological mechanisms that drive cocaine addiction, including dopamine dysregulation, compulsive habit loops, impulsivity, identity reinforcement, and relapse conditioning. His approach is highly individualised, evidence-informed, and fundamentally different from generic coaching, peer-led advice, or one-size-fits-all recovery programmes based on someone else’s story.

He has appeared as an addiction expert across major UK broadcasters including ITV, BBC, Sky News, and Sky Living, and is a published author in the field of addiction.

Over 90% of Elliott’s patients work with him online, meaning private, one-to-one treatment is accessible to clients across the United States and worldwide, without the need for travel.

If you’d like to watch a video explaining how Elliott’s one-to-one programme works, or to enquire about private treatment, send a WhatsApp:
UK: 07875 751960
International: +44 7875 751960

Find out more on Elliott's website:
https://www.hypnosis-expert.com/ADDICTION/