Britain’s popular Daily Mail recently told the story of a mother who sought help for her alcoholism only after her 15-year-old daughter took a photo of her passed out clutching a vodka bottle.
Samm Veevers, 45, admits she was consuming a liter of vodka each ay as well as gallons of beer and cider. Those who loved her most could see she was slowly drinking herself to death during marathon binges that could last for more than a week at a time.
It was far from her days as a model. Veevers’ life spiraled out of control following the death of her father eight years earlier, and she found herself turning to alcohol to cope. After being forced to quit work as a care home manager when her husband's job had forced them to move away from London, Veevers became bored and depressed. She began drinking a little wine to help her get through the day, but soon she found herself drinking more and more. She experienced a dramatic weight loss and her health deteriorated to the point that she was given just five years to live due to severe cirrhosis of the liver.
Her marriage fell apart and her husband was awarded custody of their three children.
“I didn't stop to think what I was doing to my family, I just drank to blot out the pain,” She said. She lived on the living room couch and had alcohol delivered to her door. Sometimes she would be passed out for up to 36 hours. She lost entire blocks of days.
Her daughter Hannah would occasionally stop by to check on her mom and plead with her to stop drinking. It was on one of these visits that she found her mom lying comatose on the floor, clutching a bottle of vodka. A desperate Hannah decided to take a picture, hoping to help her mom finally wake up to the severity of her situation.
“I was mortified when Hannah showed me the picture of me unconscious, clutching an empty bottle, and it shocked me into making a change in my life,” Veevers told The Daily Mail. “My addiction came out of nowhere and completely took over.”
After receiving professional help, quitting drinking and doing some local charity work, Veevers now runs her own cake company. Her daughter has moved back home and they are closer than ever.
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