Terry Kavanagh reveals how fatherhood helped him stay on track after heroin addiction

Terry Kavanagh has spoken about the years when heroin addiction took hold of his life, and how becoming a father helped him maintain his recovery. Kavanagh, who is married to Conor McGregor’s sister Erin, described his son Harry as his “saviour” in an interview on The Comeback with Brenda Dennehy. He said his difficulties began after his parents separated. Although he stressed that he did not blame them, he recalled retreating into music and later feeling that a switch had flipped. He said he became uncontrollable and stopped fearing the consequences of the drugs he was taking or the situations he faced. Kavanagh told the programme that a strong work ethic, encouraged by his brother and father, helped keep him employed. He said his brother regularly found work for him, and that this meant he did not turn to robbery or end up in prison. Still, Kavanagh recalled coming close to disaster, including a car crash in which the vehicle left the road and wrapped around a tree. He said he walked away without an injury and began to wonder whether there was a larger purpose to his survival. That realisation did not immediately end his drug use. Kavanagh said the physical grip of heroin left him unsure how to stop, but he eventually sought counselling and entered a treatment centre. After a series of relationships ended, he spent a year alone and felt he had burned every bridge. He described that period as rock bottom, and said it pushed him to pursue treatment. Kavanagh recalled his mother dropping him off at the centre. Rather than feeling afraid, he said he felt as though he had left loneliness and found a home. He identified May 12, 2009, as the last morning he used heroin. After further treatment, a mentor helped him focus on music, which he now pursues as his full-time work. He credits caring for Harry with helping him remain on the straight and narrow.