Vom Junkie zum Ironman

The story of an ex-junkie who made his way back into life by way of performance sports Andreas Niedrig’s drug career began when he was twelve, when he started smoking hashish. Then he went on speed and cocaine, finally becoming addicted to heroine. He financed his drug habit with the usual crimes of a small-time crook. Even his wife and daughters weren’t able to keep him from his destructive habit. More than once he came close to death, even attempting suicide. His wife left him, taking their two daughters. He became hunted by the drug mafia. After hitting rock bottom, Andreas Niedrig, through sheer force of will, started to change his life. He found a new challenge in sports, and overcoming all obstacles he became one of the world’s best triathletes. Even a near-amputation of a leg in 2004 could not stop him. And his wife and children came back to him. Press “His life story is certainly one of the most unusual and gripping.” Radio WDR 4 Author Jörg Schmitt-Kilian, born in 1953, is a detective and former anti-drug agent working in the drug and violence prevention program through events, courses, and readings. He has written successful books on these themes. Andreas Niedrig, born in 1967, was a drug addict from 1979 to 1991. Following successful therapy, he worked as a cabinet maker before becoming trained in orthopedics. From 1999 to 2006 he was a professional triathlete, and since 2003 he has been a public speaker in an addiction prevention project.