As a teenager Glenn Sturley Meyer trained to be a professional golfer.
He joined the navy, aged 18, and was reportedly the victim of physical and sexual assault at the hands of older recruits.
His early adulthood trauma continued with the death of his second child, a son, from a brain haemorrhage aged six months.
When Mr Meyer died at age 45, he did so as a result of mixed drug use and sleep apnoea, following a diagnosis of post traumatic stress.
Tasmanian coroner Robert Webster on Tuesday released a report into Mr Meyer's August 2019 death at the beachside town of Bicheno.
His mother was woken overnight by his "snorting and snoring". He was unresponsive when she went to check on him at 8am.
"Toxicology testing of samples obtained at autopsy revealed multiple prescription drugs which all depress the central nervous system," Mr Webster reported.
"Obese individuals and persons with obstructive sleep apnoea are at a greatly increased risk of death from the (central nervous system) depressant effects of medications."
Examinations showed the concentrations of individual drugs were not exceptional, but the combination, particularly oxycodone and diazepam, can act in tandem to suppress respiratory function.
After returning from the navy, Mr Meyer started drinking alcohol heavily.
"It seems a claim was made against the navy and Mr Meyer was paid compensation together with a pension," Mr Webster said.
Mr Meyer shook drug and alcohol use on relocating to Queensland. But when he lost his jobs after a couple of years, he moved back to Tasmania and was referred to services including counselling, physiotherapy and exercise physiology, a respiratory physician because of difficulties with sleep, a pain clinic, a psychologist and psychiatrist.
"By the end of January 2019 the plan was to wean him off palexia and diazepam slowly with the aim of ceasing it all together," the report read.
"Subsequently it appears Mr Meyer had doubts about being able to cope if the dose of diazepam was reduced."
Mr Webster was "satisfied Mr Meyer did not commit suicide".
He did not make any recommendations as a result of the investigation.
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