DEATH AVERTED –
Oct. 2, 2021 – “He said to me ‘I think you have something to tell me. You need to say it out loud’,” Kathleen added. “And I looked at him and said ‘I’m an alcoholic’. That was the first time I had said it out loud and it was very freeing.”
The damage to her body is long term and potentially irreversible. Her liver was so damaged it caused her legs to swell and she now has to walk with a stick. Alcohol is a “great deceiver” she said, and she is happy to have ditched the vodka.
“It is your best friend, it makes you feel fantastic, it makes you feel good, but it is almost as if alcoholism is grooming you and it can blow up in your face.
“It is all in my hands now. I make the decisions. I have been incredibly lucky. I want to get to the point where we do not talk about it any more. I don’t drink and that’s that.”
There are concerns there could be more people out there like Kathleen who have not yet come forward to get help. Support services are waiting to see what happens as Wales emerges from the lockdowns. They are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
