David's road to recovery after squandering £25k

A PLYMOUTH man who spiralled into addiction after being mugged has shared his story of how he squandered £25,000 on alcohol in just two weeks.

- HOWARD LLOYD

David Rixon, 22, found himself sinking into debt after a mugging and motorbike accident forced him to take time off work.

He blew his £96 weekly sick pay on online casinos and maxed out eight credit cards in two months.

Despite laws against gambling with credit cards, David found a loophole that allowed him to withdraw cash from the cards before depositing it onto his debit card for gambling. At one point, he won back £17,000 – but then spent it, plus an additional £8k from credit cards, on a massive two-week bender.

David would buy rounds for all his friends, spending his days bingedrinking and taking drugs.

He was the victim of a violent mugging in central Plymouth in September 2021, an ordeal that has left him battling trauma.

Two months later, he sustained a broken foot in a motorbike accident.

He splurged on crates of beer for beach parties and spent hundreds every night on multiple £80 vodka bottles in clubs.

His final “wake-up call” came after a heavy night of drinking left him "unable to function".

A former fish and chip shop worker, David decided to quit everything coffee, alcohol,gambling and smoking all at once. Now, one year and seven months sober, David has taken out a 12-month debt relief order (DRO) to clear the rest of his debt.

David is now candidly sharing his story of recovery, in the hope of inspire others while also calling for more stringent controls on credit cards and gambling.