"My name is Peter, I’m 62, and a few years ago my wife, Helen, passed away from cancer.
We had been together most of our lives. She was my best friend, my partner, the person I thought I would grow old with. Watching her go through treatment and slowly fade away was the hardest thing I have ever faced. When she was gone, I felt like the air had been taken out of my lungs.
The house was quiet in a way that hurt. I could not bear to sit in the living room without her. The bed felt too big. Every photo and every memory made me feel like I was breaking all over again.
I started drinking to take the edge off. At first, it was in the evenings to help me sleep. Then it became earlier in the day. It got to the point where I was drinking every day just to feel like I could get through it.
My children were grieving too, but I could not help them. I was there in body, but I was not really there. I was either drinking or thinking about drinking. I knew I was letting them down, but the truth was I did not know how else to cope.
One night my daughter came over. She told me she had found something she thought could help me. It was the Control Alcohol Essentials package from Clear Minds. She asked me to try it.
I told her it would not work for me. I had been drinking for years. I felt too far gone. But she said, “Dad, please. We can't lose you too.”
That did it for me. I agreed to give it a go.
At first, it was difficult. I had relied on alcohol for so long that I did not know how to get through the day without it. But I listened to the sessions every night. Even when I thought they were not doing much, I kept going.
After a couple of weeks, I noticed the cravings were not as strong. I did not feel that same pull towards the bottle. I began to think more clearly. After a while I started to talk to my children again, properly talk, about their mum and about how we were all feeling.
The support group helped me more than I expected. There were people there who understood exactly what I was going through. They listened. They encouraged me. They reminded me I was not alone.
It has been the hardest few years of my life, and stopping drinking has not been easy. But I am sober now. I am present for my children. We are facing our grief together, and I feel like I can be the father they need.
If my daughter had not found Clear Minds, I don’t know where I would be today. I am grateful every single day that she did."
We want to thank Peter for sharing his story. His journey shows that even in the worst of times, change is possible.
If you are ready to take back control and be there for the people who matter most, click the link below to learn more about the Control Alcohol Essentials package that helped Peter rebuild his life.
