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Zak Stewart died at his home on August 26.
Mr Stewart was found unresponsive at his home on Dixon Street, Westhoughton by his housemate.
An inquest into his death was held at Bolton Coroners’ Court on Monday, December 18.
His mother, Sloane Grant, told the inquest how he had begun using cannabis as a teenager, saying: “He started hanging around with friends and trying pot, things like that.”
He began taking prescription drugs such as diazepam and codeine, some of which hadn’t been prescribed to him.
Prior to his passing, she believed he was in a ‘reasonably good place’.
She said: “Once he got a job at Stateside, he made a friend in Phil and got his relationship with Francesca, he seemed on top of the world to me.
“He had just been promoted, he was planning a holiday with Francesca and they were looking at getting a house together.”
Mr Stewart’s partner, Francesca Hayes, told the inquest how they had lived together for around a year and a half.
She told how earlier this year he took a course of anabolic steroids, around “April or May”.
On August 26 this year, Ms Hayes woke up to go to work. She said: “I was with him the whole day before, we went to sleep and then woke up in the morning.”
She then went to work. Later in the day she was told he had died.
Dr Rawindra Sawant gave Mr Stewart’s medical cause of death as combined dihydrocodeine and diazepam toxicity, with contributing left ventricle hypertrophy.
He told the inquest that steroids, due to being muscle-building, can “build muscles of the heart”, making heart walls thicker.
He said an enlarged heart “can interfere with its normal rhythms”.
Concluding, Coroner Stephen Teasdale said: “On August 26 this year, the deceased, who had a history of use of illicitly-obtained prescription drugs, was found unresponsive in bed at his home.
“Paramedics confirmed his death at the scene. Samples were taken post mortem, high levels of dihydrocodeine and medium levels of diazepam were found, neither of which were prescribed to the deceased.
“Anabolic steroids were also found, the use of which resulted in cardiac muscular damage.”
He concluded Mr Stewart’s death as having been drug-related.
Speaking after the inquest, Ms Grant said: “I am happy with the result but gutted that my son has gone. He was the best person.”
His sister, Mollie Stewart, added: “He is dearly missed by us all.”
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