Gran on 27 units a day quits booze

Feb 15 2009 by Helen Rae, Sunday Sun

A GRANDMOTHER who turned to booze after the death of her mum and the collapse of her marriage has told how she finally beat the demon drink.

Marilyn Clark — known as Mazz — drank solidly for 10 years, often consuming almost 200 units of alcohol a week.

Coupled with taking anti-depressants, the 47-year-old had no idea she was taking such a deadly cocktail until she received the harsh warning from her doctor that helped her finally overcome her addiction.

Now more people in Mazz’s situation will get the help they need thanks to the opening of the country’s first regional alcohol office, based in Darlington.

The aim of the office — known as Balance — is to inspire changes in the way people drink so they can enjoy themselves but cut consumption.

The organisation will raise the profile of alcohol-related issues through media campaigns, sharing best practice in prevention and treatment services, and pushing for responsible practice in the pricing, sale and promotion of alcohol.

Mazz, 47, from South Shields, South Tyneside, welcomed the announcement by Balance, and told of her dangerous relationship with alcohol.

She said: “I started drinking when I was 37 after the death of my mum and a failed marriage.

“I’d been so close to my mum, it was really hard to cope at the start. I would spend my morning recovering from my hangover and by lunchtime feel better again, so I would start drinking, it was a vicious cycle.

“At my peak, I was drinking 193 units a week. At my lowest consumption, I was on 56 units a week, now I realise that even my lowest amount was way over the limit. I remember going to my doctor in 2007 about my anti-depressants and gallstones. The doctor knew I was drinking too much and pointed out that the drugs would have absolutely no effect if I was drinking.”