Dad who would drink two bottles of rum a day speaks out on crippling booze addiction and getting dry

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At his lowest point he was drinking two bottles of rum a day and was unable to work.

But recovering alcoholic Simon Smith hasn't had a drop for around 12 months and it's mainly thanks to his mum's generosity.

Simon, who is in his 50s and from Bradford, went on a 10-day residential rehab course at the Oasis Recovery residential centre on Bolling Road at Broomfields, which treats people with drug and alcohol addictions.

He had been drinking heavily, on and off, since he was a young man and puts it down to his failure to cope with extreme stress which caused him to 'self medicate'.

When he was 18, Simon's father died and it led to him drinking heavily to cope with the grief.

"After my role model went out of my life I pretty much went off the rails," he recalls.

"I struggled with anxiety and found that having a drink calmed me down. I got into social drinking and then heavy drinking. I couldn't keep a job due to either my time-keeping or because I just decided not to go in.

"I started to hang around with people who became full-blown alcoholics."

Simon decided to "put the brake on" his drinking several times in his life, even staying off alcohol for years at a time but then he always returned to it when life got hard.

He remembers how awful it was to go 'cold turkey'.

"It was horrendous. I kept hearing voices and once I thought a cat was on my bed but really there was nothing there.

Oasis Recovery rehab

Oasis Recovery in Bradford has continued to treat addicts during the coronavirus pandemic.

Compared to this time last year, admissions at Oasis Recovery are almost 20% lower, and the team blame the Government for their ‘chosen silence’ over what services were still open during the crisis.

"Time is of the essence when it comes to successfully treating someone with an addiction” says Nuno Albuquerque, treatment lead for the UK Addiction Treatment Group which runs Oasis Recovery.

He says: "As soon as an addict asks for help, help needs to be provided.

"They cannot wait until lockdown is lifted.

"This is why it was crucial for us to ensure our rehab remained open and able to admit clients across Yorkshire during the crisis, and by acting swiftly we were able to keep all clients and staff safe during this incredibly difficult time.

"The Government chose to remain silent when it came to people suffering with addiction; they chose to not encourage getting the help they desperately needed and so we fully expect a rush of clients seeking treatment once lockdown is over.

"This is a dangerous approach to take, as in the last four months, their dependency will have worsened and for some, the delay in getting treatment may well have been fatal.

"Addiction doesn’t stop because we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, and so neither could we."

"I was seeing shadows, sweating and had massive anxiety. A doctor once told me that my liver was struggling and that I would not get to 40."

Incredibly, Simon managed to stop drinking for a whole decade - but then something happened and he was back to serious binge drinking.

"I would be drinking two bottles of vodka or rum a day. I had gone off the rails."

Around a year ago, with the financial and moral support of his mum, he checked into Oasis Recovery.

It cost his mum £3,500 and her support meant that Simon didn't want to let her down.

"Just before I went in, I had drunk solidly for six or seven days. I was on two bottles of rum a day. I rang work and told that I was not well and needed to go into detox."

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Once inside, he was given medical support to cope with the "coming down" phase. He was also kept busy with various tasks, from courses and therapy to cleaning.

He learned that his heavy drinking stemmed from anxiety which was triggered by difficult episodes in his life.

"I could see that I defaulted to drink as a coping strategy. I had a relationship breakdown in 2013 and sought solace in drink."

During rehab, and through the aftercare provided by Oasis, Simon learned about alternative 'coping strategies' such as meditation and talking through his problems.

"I go out walking or cycling. I go camping with the kids or stay in the caravan. If something happens, such as an overwhelming day at work, I do 'box breathing' for 10 minutes or go out for a walk.

"I always knew that me and drink were never going to be friends. I knew that I could not go back to drink. I am good now. Oasis gave me the tools and I can ring them when I need help."

* Simon's surname has been changed.