'Running helped me overcome alcohol addiction'

John Dixon set up a running group to encourage other people in his area to get active

A DJ whose excessive drinking caused him to hit "rock bottom" has said a love of running helped him turn his life around.

John Dixon, 43, from Wolverhampton, said he resolved to give up alcohol 18 months ago after realising his "drunken antics" had been an embarrassment to his family.

He set up his own running group in the city and said he had become "part of the biggest, friendliest, most inclusive community in the world".

"My kids now brag about their dad's achievements, not cringe with embarrassment," he added.

Mr Dixon said he had "always been a big drinker" and had briefly managed to stop, but the coronavirus lockdowns dragged him back into the addiction.

He said it came to a head in September 2023 when he got drunk while at a family wedding.

The next morning he said he was embarrassed and promised his family they would never see him drunk again.

"I needed that trigger to say enough is enough," he said.

Mr Dixon said he started running last April and after signing up for a colour run and a Race for Life, after which "the running bug just got me".

He was also pleased to see the reaction he was getting from his family.

Since then he has completed 15 half marathons, one full marathon and several 10km runs and is preparing for the Manchester Marathon next month.

But he also said he wanted to do something to make "someone as happy as I am" so set up the Run2Happiness Facebook group to bring together runners in his area.

Up to 24 people now meet every week at the Golden Lion in Fallings Park.

He hopes some will join him on a charity run later this year, between five football grounds in the West Midlands, finishing at Wolverhampton's Molineux Stadium.