Dad 'lived in a tent with needle hanging out of arm' - but is saved by fishing

A man from Wirral who was once addicted to heroin and crack for seven years has spoken about how fishing has saved his life. 35-year-old Ben Koba's addiction had left him "living in a tent with a needle hanging out of my arm" until one day he decided to change his life around for the sake of his estranged daughter who hadn't seen for two years.

Ben, from Woodchurch in the Wirral says he bought a rod, reel, bait and hooks at a fishing shop in Birkenhead with his 'meagre benefits' and went down to the water on his own in the middle of winter. He told the ECHO how he was brought to tears as he caught a couple of codling.

He said: "I was that overcome and overwrought that I could get such a high off something other than intravenous drugs. For the first time in years, I felt normal."

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The first 18 months of recovery were "nightmarish" as he couch surfed and slept in bushes hugging his rods "so no one could steal them". But Ben "just kept going", saying: "I just concentrated on the fishing above all else. I've used it as a life jacket to keep me afloat."

Now he's in a better place then he's ever been. He said: "I love what I do. I wake up with a spring in my step every morning, dive out of bed and look forward to the day, whereas in the past when I was in the tent, you'd be taking bigger and bigger hits, hoping it was going to kill you because you were just that fed up of life."

People asked to join Ben fishing when they saw how much it helped him stay sober, so in 2018, he launched Wirral Sea Angling Academy. With tackle donated by shops, and donations of £10 to cover the cost of bait, rods and reels, Ben now spends most days fishing with