The only word the man spoke before changing his life forever

Mark, who now lives in Dingle, cites his previous management role in the retail sector as a factor in why he would continue to drink. He said he faced homophobia and remembers being called derogatory slurs during office meetings. Mark said he wanted to “block out and not think about it”, but when he woke up with a hangover, he would drink again, and so the vicious cycle continued.

He said: “My friends always said I loved drinks, there was no denying it. But then it got to the point where it impacted everything: my family, my friends, my relationships, and my job.

“I drank all the time. I couldn’t not drink. He held me tightly and it felt like something had taken over my body and my brain. This period of my life did not seem real to me; it wasn’t me and I wasn’t the same person. When things were bad, it lasted about four years, drinking six bottles of wine a day.

“I had one when I got up in the morning before work, one during lunch, one on the way home, and more when I got home.”

Mark, who is epileptic, said constant drinking only made his seizures worse. Due to his addiction and his state of health, he was hospitalized several times over the course of a few months. He also said he was anxious and depressed — two struggles he still faces today, but he admits they aren’t as heavy a burden as they once were.

He added: “Drink is everywhere and it can be triggering. It’s plastered on the side of buses and there are posters everywhere, so it was hard for me to see it all the time. It got worse and worse for me. Things were exciting and I couldn’t keep up.

Mark took his first step towards recovery by attending the Hope Center on Smithdown Road. Following this, he spent 18 weeks at a residential rehabilitation centre, Rise, in south Liverpool.

Now able to help others, Mark is launching Pride in Recovery with Sahir, Liverpool’s oldest LGBTQ+ charity. Drop-in sessions take place at The Brink on Parr Street on the last Friday of each month.

The volunteer said: “I know if a drop of alcohol touched my lips I would fall back into addiction. This is why these spaces are so important. They take place on payday, when people are tempted to fall back into old habits or go out – this event gives them something to do and something to focus on.