While addiction treatments are normally hidden under a thick veil of secrecy, one Oxfordshire resident wants to have a frank conversation about alcoholism in a bid to encourage substance abusers to seek help.

Former alcoholic John, who smiles with pride when he talks about his two-year sobriety, described his 'typical' path to alcoholism and how the ways that the local chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous brought him back to life.

He said: "I had quite a typical progressively worsening relationship with alcohol that meant that ultimately my life started evolving around the substance.

"It took away everything in the end - I lost my job, my home and ultimately I had a breakdown where I was at a very frightening, lonely place physically dependant on alcohol.

"My boyfriend moved away for work and I just let booze take over really – I became an emotional wreck."

Oxford Mail:

However, John insisted this was not the catalyst that made him drink heavily.

He explained: "I always had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol – as a student I was always the person to order three beers at the end of the night just to make sure I do not miss last orders, so that the evening can go on.

"I was always the person to drink too much at a dinner party.

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"As time went on I found that I needed to drink before events – I was also always fixated on where the next drink will be coming from, so I would find myself at supermarkets stocking up on bottles of wine even though I already had some in my house."

After John underwent a week-long medical detox, he joined group therapy sessions in a local rehab, otherwise he admitted alcohol 'would have killed him'.

As the second anniversary of his sobriety quickly approaches, John was able to reflect back on his 'mental obsession with alcohol' as he confidently described it.

He said: "For a lot of us alcoholism is a progressive disease but I have also heard many members of Alcoholics Anonymous say they knew they were ill from their teens."

Oxford Mail:

John remembered his very first AA meeting and the indescribable weight that fell off his shoulders once he said the magical words 'I am an alcoholic'.

He spoke about the famous 12 steps intricate to one's recovery process, about te power of a fellowship and about the strong connections he has made with other addicts.

There was no regret or shame about his past, he said, though he acknowledged he lowers his voice in conversations about his illness.

He said: "From my own perspective this is something that I just am – it is the same thing as me being gay, not a personal choice.

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"The best thing I can compare it with is a peanut allergy - some people have it and some people do not.

"You do not get to choose - it is not like you woke up one day and decided to be an alcoholic or your mother made you one, you just have a bad relationship with booze."

While it is difficult to estimate how many members of AA there are in Oxfordshire because of anonymity clauses, there are 58 AA groups across the county with about 20 to 30 men and women attending every meeting.

John discussed many misconceptions surrounding alcoholism and speculated they are the reason why it takes people so long to come forward and admit they need help.

"We have this ideal image of an alcoholic that they are the homeless person sitting on the bench or the smelly person you do not want to sit next to on the bus but the truth of it is that we are everywhere – it is the person at the dinner party, the person who is your nurse, your barista or your postman."

Oxford Mail:

While John's miraculous recovery is a testament to AA's grip on the illness, the organisation consistently faces criticisms from people who disagree with its forceful spiritual healing.

Member at the meetings are asked to follow 12 steps – five of which reference god – that were first introduced back in the early 1940s when the fellowship was started.

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Even John, who did not have a single negative word to say about AA, admitted this was one of the most debated questions in and outside the organisation.

He said: "I have friends in AA who are atheists and have found their own spiritual path without believing in God with a capital G."

"I happen to not believe in the scripture of any church but I have my private spirituality.

Oxford Mail:

Members of Alcoholics Anonymous, families and friends are meeting for a one-day convention in Holywell Community Centre photo by Google Maps

"What we talk about is a god of your own understanding and for some that might be nature or the power of the universe, or the power of being within a fellowship – there is no demand that you are a bible basher."

John acknowledged that he can only reflect on personal experience but he urged those who think they need help see for themselves.

For more information visit https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/AA-Meetings/Find-a-Meeting