Recovering alcoholic urges others to seek help

Mr Fleming said he is now eight months sober

William Fleming says his drinking and drug use was once "so out of control" - but now he's eight months clean and is encouraging others to seek help.

He said he lost his job a decade ago and found himself homeless as a result of his drinking.

He told the BBC he is currently being supported in his recovery by the Kenward Trust, a Kent-based alcohol and drug misuse charity.

Speaking during alcohol awareness week, Mr Fleming said: "If you're hiding [drinking] then you know that you need helping".

"You need to reach out to organisations like [Alcoholics Anonymous] and try and get your support and try and get help with your drinking," he added.

Support and information for anyone affected by these issues can be found at BBC Action Line.

The 53-year-old told the BBC he drank whiskey and beer to "block things out" after traumatic experiences earlier in his life.

"Alcohol was like a big crutch for me and basically it got so out of control that I could not even work," he said.

Eventually, Mr Fleming said, he felt he had to keep drinking to avoid shakes and seizures and ultimately ended up living on the streets.

He said: "After a year and a bit I had a caseworker who helped me to go into a hostel.

"But I was still fighting my demons, fighting my drink, fighting my alcohol.

"When I got into the hostel it was not a good environment because there was so many people in there drinking and using drugs that it was all around me 24 hours a day."

Mr Fleming added he now feels "so, so good" about being eight months sober.

"I just, I've got the freedom, I've got the love, I've got the support back in my family, and I just feel that, with this rehab, it was a lifesaver," he said.

'That's it, it's got you'

Another recovering alcoholic, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said her addiction began during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We were doing home schooling, my husband at the time was out to work, and it just became everyone contacting each other saying 'time for wine'," she said.

"It just goes from that to something a bit more - one glass, two glasses - and then the stress escalated and it turns into bottles."

She added: "After an amount of time you can't stop the shakes, feeling really ill, so you top yourself up to stop that happening and that's it, it's got you."

Penny Williams, chief executive of Kenward Trust, said the charity's alcohol awareness week campaign was "about helping people spot those early, silent signs and know they're not alone, help is here, and recovery is possible".