'I thought my drinking habits were normal'

For years, Céline Le Luyer thought her drinking habits were normal.

Her twenties included weekends which revolved around pubs, nights out and large amounts of alcohol.

But what started as social drinking gradually became something she relied on to cope with anxiety, stress and declining mental health.

Speaking ahead of Sober October, a campaign challenging people to change their relationship with alcohol, Le Luyer told BBC Radio Jersey she had been "constantly living for the weekend" and "constantly thinking about the next time I could have a drink".

Le Luyer said: "I was just working so that I could fund my drinking habits."

Over time, she said alcohol began to affect every part of her life.

She said her relationship broke down, she struggled to hold down work and eventually moved back in with her mum.

Throughout all of this, she says she still struggled to accept there was a problem.

• If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.

"When I heard the word alcoholic, I pictured a man sitting on a park bench with a bottle in a paper bag," she said.

"It wasn't a woman in her twenties with a job, a relationship and a flat. That just didn't match up in my head."

Three years before she sought help, Le Luyer was admitted to hospital after suffering severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

She had been drinking heavily for days and became so unwell she struggled to speak due to withdrawals.

Doctors warned she was at risk of a seizure but it was only after a day of binge drinking that everything changed.

She said she woke up feeling overwhelmed by shame, anxiety and exhaustion.

"I remember thinking I couldn't remember the last time I woke up and didn't feel like that," she said.

That morning, she told her mother she was ready to get help.

Le Luyer went to Silkworth Lodge, an addiction treatment centre in Jersey, where she spent three months in recovery.

She realised there were people "from completely different backgrounds struggling with exactly the same thoughts and feelings".

Now almost eight years sober, Le Luyer has a young son, is engaged, has learned to drive and works as a carpenter.

Most importantly, she said, she has a future.

"I honestly thought I was a lost cause. The life I've got now is beyond anything I thought was possible."

Le Luyer said she hopes sharing her story will encourage others to seek help earlier.

"Help is out there and we do recover," she said, "you could be putting off the best part of your life."

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