Felixstowe-born Sam Phillips opens Dare to Dip Samwiches, in Hamilton Road, Felixstowe, in hope of inspiring others

The owner of a recently opened sandwich bar who has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction since his teenage years hopes to inspire others.

Sam Phillips, 38, of Felixstowe, welcomed customers to Dare to Dip Samwiches, in Hamilton Road, last Thursday.

He moved into the former site of Lotty's Sandwich Shop and Tearoom, which closed at the beginning of this year and relocated to a larger premises in Old Felixstowe.

Sam said it was a great opportunity to return to his culinary roots, having previously worked as a chef in restaurants in Suffolk and Essex.

He said having his own business was a dream come true.

"It's exciting and scary," said Sam. "It's all sorts of emotions really."

"When my daughters were born, I gave up cooking and I started working as a forklift driver because I wanted to watch them grow up.

"I did that for about a decade and I was dreaming of having my own place, so I guess I manifested it."

Dare to Dip - now a charity as of this year - is a nod to Sam's fund-raising challenge, which he did three years ago to help with his recovery from drugs and alcohol and to raise mental health awareness.

For 365 days, Sam braved the chilly North Sea, and at the end of the challenge, he had inspired more than 400 people to do the same.

He said this experience gave him the strength to pursue anything he wanted.

"I was at crossroads in my life," said Sam. "I always struggled with self-discipline but completing the challenge proved I had it, and it strengthened my mind.

Sam struggled with addiction to alcohol and drugs in his early teenage years, but has been clean since starting the challenge and joining a recovery fellowship.

He hopes starting his own business will inspire others in a similar situation.

He said: "I had health anxiety, which is a type of hypochondriasis, from a young age. It made me anxious and fearful.

"I started drinking when I was 13 and it helped to numb all those fears, so I ended up developing a reliance on it from an early age.

"As I got into my late teens, I realised that once the drink wore off, it only heightened the fear and anxiety. Then it spiralled into a full-blown addiction and I got into drugs.

"It did calm my anxiety for a while, but then it made it come back twice as bad, so I was always chasing that feeling to escape from it.

"I started getting sober when my eldest daughter was born, but I kept relapsing because I was trying to get sober on my own.

“Three years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a fellowship, and since then, I haven’t picked up drugs or alcohol."

He said the best thing recovery has given him is being able to see the future.

"I was in a really dark place," he said. "I had nearly given up at one point and now I’ve got a future.

"For others who might be struggling, this is to show that if you don’t give up things can change - and drastically."

The sandwich bar is open Monday to Saturday, from 8am to 3pm.

The menu offers a selection of sandwiches, breakfast baps, hot drinks and pastries as well as jacket potatoes and hot dogs.

Sam said the menu will expand to include a salad bar, made-to-order baps and sausage rolls.

There will also be outdoor seating, and while Sam adjusts to running the business and until he builds a team, he will be serving grab-and-go food.