World famous DJ Markus ended up in a coma from the drugs

The first time Markus Enochson tried drugs, he was 18 years old. He was in a club in London with a friend who knew everything and everyone, and when a girl offered him cocaine, he did not refuse.

– It was incredibly cool and fun. I had a huge mental response to that particular drug. I had the feeling that everyone inside this club thought I was absolutely fantastic, all the girls and some guys, and I thought that was 100 percent OK, says Markus Enochson in Efter fem.

As a DJ, he was active in the nightlife, he lived and worked in an environment where alcohol and drugs were common. In 2001, Markus Enochson got his breakthrough when two of his songs got a lot of attention and changed his whole life. He got the opportunity to tour the world and opportunities for production jobs, but it also increased access to partying and drugs.

– At that time, it was quite okay to take drugs. As long as I could deliver from the stage or in the music studio, no one questioned whether I was drunk or high at work. If I had had a normal job, I would never have been able to continue this long. No one made any demands on me to be sober.

Drove his career to the bottom

Although Markus Enochson managed to juggle work and the increased addiction for a period, it would soon catch up with him. When it was at its worst, he had driven his career to the bottom, the jobs stopped coming and he found himself sitting at home and using drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines. For a time he stopped using stimulant drugs and switched to opiates.

– I remember sitting at home by myself and taking drugs, I cried and still I passed things in even though I didn’t want to. I felt pissed off.

In the end, it went so far that in 2014 he ended up in a coma, an effect of his body taking a beating for a long time. Markus went to the hospital on his own initiative because of a strong concern about his well-being. In intensive care, he fell into a coma and the doctors gave him a five in five chance of survival.

The twist: “I was no longer prepared to die”

Markus Enochson remained in the hospital for a long time after he woke up from the coma. The consequences were a period of time with tubes in and out of the body and he also had to learn to walk again, but that was also the turning point. According to LVM, the law on care and addiction, Markus would either be in compulsory care or have to arrange treatment on his own. He chose to enter a treatment center and that was the start of his journey towards sobriety.

– At the treatment home, a spark of life grew. I wasn’t as ready to die anymore.

What was the key to finally taking the plunge and cutting out drugs and alcohol for you?

– I got involved in a twelve-step community when I came from the treatment home. I think to cope with this puck by yourself, on your own, is very difficult. You get a lot of traction from these communities.

Currently, Markus Enochson works as an addiction therapist and helps other people get out of heavy addiction. He also participates in “Lerin på Lofoten”, a program by the artist Lars Lerin, where you get to follow people with similar addiction backgrounds as Markus Enochson himself.

– Part of this process in recovery is about forgiving oneself and trying to do right where I have hurt others in my addiction, says Markus Enochson.