Samantha, Harrogate
Samantha (Ted’s wife) used to drink at home most evenings. It was easy for her to drink half a bottle of brandy a week.
Following the loss of her son, she carried on drinking, it helped to numb the pain. It didn’t help.
“After a while, I realised the drink was making me worse. I didn’t feel better. I was feeling very sad, groggy in the mornings and overwhelmed with grief.”
Samantha realised she’d had enough and decided to reduce her drinking. After a while, she started to feel better.
“I wasn’t groggy in the mornings; I woke up fresh. I wasn’t as overwhelmed, there were times when I could see the sunshine again. Reducing my drinking had a large part to play in that.”
Samantha doesn’t drink at home anymore, but still enjoys a glass of prosecco with her friends or a glass of wine when she’s out for dinner.
Samantha suggests making small changes to your behaviour, for big impacts on your health.
“Try to change your habits. It’s habitual to drink at home. Instead of opening the bottle of wine at five o’clock, have a cup of tea and biscuit instead. It’s just as enjoyable, and you’ll feel so much better for it.”
Other Local Stories
Ted
Following the loss of his son, Ted from Harrogate drank heavily, both at home and outside of the house. He felt he needed the alcohol, but he came to the realisation it wasn’t helping, in fact it was making him worse.
Chris
Chris used to drink fairly heavily, since being a student a while ago, but enjoys the countryside and being fit and healthy, which doesn’t fit with a drinking lifestyle.
James
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