Marking two years sober with epic bike ride

A recovering alcoholic says the physical pain of cycling up Mount Vesuvius will be completely masked by the elation of being two years sober.

In 2023, Phil James was in a state of deep depression, had a severe addiction to alcohol and had been told there was an extensive wait for NHS therapy sessions.

After a "horrific" detox alone on his sofa for two weeks, he has since been drink-free, supported other recovering addicts and completed numerous cycling challenges to give him focus through his recovery.

"I've always got something to look forward to, that requires me to be well," he said ahead of his latest fundraising ride in Italy.

"That's why I've got all these challenges continually going."

Mr James cycled to the summit of Ben Nevis on 1 July 2025

Mr James, 47, from Tunstall, Staffordshire, was diagnosed with PTSD at a young age, having become homeless at sixteen.

Not being able, he said, to find help or support, he resorted to alcohol which only added to his state of depression.

"I was drinking alcohol at home alone with the curtains closed 24 hours a day, smoking 30 cigarettes a day, I'd had a breakdown, I was crying uncontrollably every day for eight months," he reflected.

He admitted that two years into his sobriety, he still got cravings to have a drink but had "rewired his brain" in order to stop himself.

"I changed that by visualising myself lying on my sofa, sweating, throwing up, shaking, the anxiety I had, the guilt and the shame," he stated.

He described the temptation to drink as "a rollercoaster" but reassured others in similar positions that challenging moments did pass.

"The cravings don't last forever, if you can remember that," he said.

Mr James's other cycle challenges include Mount Snowdon, the Devil's Ladder in Ireland and Mount Teide in Spain (pictured)

Mr James has embraced peer support by regularly posting reflective videos on social media and exchanging messages with people in recovery from across the world.

He shared the example of a man from Yorkshire with whom he connected via TikTok.

That person had been an alcoholic for 30 years and, also documenting his sober journey via social media, he recently credited Mr James for inspiring him.

"It made me really proud," Mr James said through tears. "And now he's got so many people he's inspiring with his daily videos."

Mr James will jet off to Italy for his next cycling challenge on 19 September, ready to begin cycling on his two-years-sober date.

"It'll be emotional," he said. "It won't be hard because I'll be thinking 'this is brilliant, I'm two years sober'."

All donations to his cycling challenge will go to the mental health support network M.A.T.E. for which Mr James is a mentor.