Lizzie's Story

Carr Beck: Emerging from the haze of alcoholism to start a new life

Alcoholism can destroy lives. We talked to 23-year-old Lizzie*, a chaotic drinker. She tells us how planned support from Turning Lives Around (TLA) helped get her addiction under control:

“I used to go out drinking with friends in Leeds which often led to me getting into trouble with the police for shoplifting and anti-social behaviour while drunk.

This was really unsettling and problematic for my family so I moved into Carr Beck. My keyworker Eileen and I drew up an Alcohol Plan and I agreed to keep my alcohol in the office, so they could log how much I was drinking.

An Alcohol Plan is a contract of controlled alcohol use agreed between client and keyworker. They decide on the choice of drink and how much they will need within a 24-hour period, with the aim of reducing over time to safer levels. Clients are to choose low alcohol drinks, and their intake is monitored. The Alcohol Plan is adjusted to suit the needs of the client as their drinking levels reduce.

It only took a few weeks on the Plan, before I began to feel the benefits of sticking to it - my behaviour, health and wellbeing were all much better. I stopped going into Leeds to meet up with my old drinking pals and when my keyworker showed me my alcohol logs and I realised how much I was still drinking, I decided to reduce this from 75ml to 50ml per drink.

My keyworker came with me to my first Dual Diagnosis meeting with Forward Leeds at Aire Court and, thanks to my improved behaviour, I am now working towards a possible detox and rehabilitation.”

* Client names and images may have been changed to protect their privacy. Thank you for your understanding.