I didn't want to wake up tomorrow, says ex-alcoholic

A woman who works as a practitioner in the addiction clinic that helped her recover from alcoholism is telling her story in order to show others there is hope.

Jess Fry, 42, from Gloucester, has been sober for one year and nine months but struggled with alcohol dependency for years before finding sobriety.

Fry's daughter went to stay with her grandmother, and she said she pushed away friends and left her job. "I didn't want to wake up tomorrow because it was easier not to. That's ridiculous," she said.

"That's what helps me understand the insanity of alcoholism and addiction", she explained, adding: "My daughter's the most important thing to me in my world, and I let that happen."

Fry still feels guilty about her daughter - who was a young teenager at the time - leaving home but they have a good relationship now.

"Do you know what the most wonderful thing is? We're honest with each other, and she'll come to me with anything and everything, she knows she can trust me."

She says when she made the decision to seek help, it was like "falling to my knees, and not being able to get back up".

After completing her treatment at Abbeycare, just outside Gloucester, Fry decided she wanted to give something back and began working night shifts at the centre, progressing to a permanent role as a recovery practitioner.

"It's about living a life of recovery, it's about understanding what that is, what that means and I get to do that with them. It's the most rewarding job."

Abbeycare is a private clinic and Jess found it could sometimes be a challenge to get treatment without the money.

Gloucestershire County councillor Paul Hodgkinson, cabinet member for public health, says once people ask for help they generally get treatment quite quickly.

"People often feel a sense of shame that they've got themselves to that position," he said, adding: "So, it's really a case of trying to create an environment where people can come forward."

"Actually finding people and bringing them forward is quite challenging. And, actually, the funding really isn't there to do more on that. And I'd really love to."

The government has an overall alcohol strategy, published in 2012, which has been criticised by some MPs.

The government recently announced it was to hand out £20m in grants for people to develop technology designed to tackle addiction.

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