North Yorkshire woman shares experience of alcohol addiction
It's in the hope that others will also reach out and get support
A North Yorkshire woman is opening up about her addiction to alcohol in the hopes others will feel less alone.
The Charity horizons say it has seen an increase in the number of women coming to them for support since the pandemic.
Cat who lives in Harrogate has been telling us her story: "Alcohol nearly killed me, basically I used it as a coping mechanism, it took a hold of me badly, to the point where I ended up in hospital with a 50/50 chance of survival. The realisation that alcohol was a serious issue was when I was actually taking wine into the hospital, putting alcohol before my health."
"If people came round to the house you'd hide it behind the sofa, under the sofa, behind a pillow, in the cupboard, they'd be empty wine bottles in places. Because you had so much of it in the house you'd forget where you put it."
"I would get up on a morning and have a drink, it got that bad, and then maybe at lunchtime go for a sleep and then continue when I woke up."
"The biggest thing is admitting you've got a problem, when I engaged with horizons, you have to be open and honest and what you will find is most of the problem who you are actually speaking to have been in that situation.
"A lot of people who know me very well but didn't know I was going through this and they just can't believe, how different I am and they are so proud of me."
You can access help and support from horizons here