More Younger People Joining AA In Ireland

0:00In Ireland, nothing gets us talking like lions. Tea? Small talk. Well, Jimmy, shark and weather were having. Big talk. Even I got to play county. Office talk. I'm MIA in the AM, but I'll circle back on the KP guys. Real talk. Milk before tea? Should be a criminal offense. You could say we talk too much. But the truth is... We don't talk nearly enough. Lions. What's the talk into tea? The last word. With life pharmacy. Over 100 local pharmacies nationwide that are always here to help. Life pharmacy. Live better together. This weekend, there's a special convention taking place in the Sheerwater Hotel and Balanislon County, Galway. It's bringing together a few hundred people from Ireland and abroad. And these are the Ireland young people in AA. So to talk a little bit about being a recovering alcoholic while still in your twenties

1:00were joined by two guests, John and by Melanie. And obviously we're not giving their full identities so they can maintain their anonymity. John and Melanie, thank you very much for taking the time to join us. Melanie, I'm going to start with you, please. Could you tell me a little bit please about your story, about your experience with alcohol and why it is that at such a young age you've realised that you have a problem with us? Yeah, so I started drinking when I was 16 and I absolutely loved it. I absolutely hated secondary school at the time and I just felt not very confident. So when I drank, I suppose I just felt like it was the best thing ever. And I just continued to drink then going forward at the start. It was really fun and I enjoyed it and I loved going out with my friends and all the rest and having the crack. And then when I was in my early twenties then I started to notice the effects that was having on my life, the people that were in my life

2:00had affected pretty much everything. And then... In more way? I suppose it just negatively affected my relationships. It was always told to me that I was drinking too much and I suppose when I woke up, I just went through kind of everyday just chronicly hungover. And the only like the thought in my mind every single morning was, oh my god, just get me a drink. I just can't wait to have a drink and I just lived kind of everyday like that. And then I decided to move to Australia because I thought maybe it's just where I am in life. Maybe there's just not going on for me. Maybe I'll try and move and see if it's any any different but the addiction followed me and it didn't matter where I was. It still really, really affected me. And when I was in Australia when I was... I think it was 2023. I went over and that's when it kind of just got really, really out of hand. What do you say? A lot of hand. How bad was it for you?

3:01So basically, I just went to work and then after work, I would drink from maybe five. I'd black out then. I wouldn't remember anything. I'd barely be able to get up in the morning for work and the only reason I actually did work was to have money to be able to drink. I couldn't pay my rent then. I just lost sight of who I actually was as a person. I just was so consumed by alcohol. It was my every single thought in my head was revolved around drink. And that's when I really started to scare myself because the decisions I made when I was drinking were scaring me. You know, the decisions I make I wake up and think, oh my god, I could have died with what I just did. You know? So that's where I really started to scare myself was over in Australia. And then when I came home, I came home specifically to try and stop drinking and then still continue to drink. I just, I couldn't stop on my own. So what age are you at this stage now? So I'm 29 now. So when I came home from Australia,

4:02I decided then to go to rehab. Where was that? How long was that? So that was just over two years ago. What was that like for you? How difficult was that? It was very scary. Like walking in the doors was just so, I was terrified. But at the same time, I was kind of relieved. So it was a mix of both. It was so scary to give up that crotch of alcohol. But also I was, I was, I was, I was scaring myself so much. And I didn't want to die. That was the only thought that was going on in my head was I don't, I really don't want to die. And that's, that's why I decided to go in with the help of my family and their support. It was so scary, but I'm so happy that I made that choice to go to rehab because I got so much help from all the counsellors in there and, and the other women in there who were going through the exact same thing. And it was so nice to finally let go of that dark secret I had. And I wasn't lying to everyone around me. I wasn't lying to my family. Like today, I can actually look at my family and the eye and I have, I don't have shame and guilt around alcohol,

5:03which is just so free and... I mean, the other people who were in there at the time, are there many around the same age as you? There was two that would have been in their 20s. It was kind of a mixture of ages, but there was two younger girls, yeah, around my age. The reason I asked that is maybe at times there's a perception that you have to be drinking for an awful lot longer before you actually can be classified as an alcoholic. Then it rarely happens with people in their mid to late 20s. Yeah, yeah. And that's one of the reasons I was so in denial for a long time was because, you know, I would have always said that to myself, I'm not an alcoholic. I can't be an alcoholic. Absolutely not. Sure, you have to be an alcoholic if you're in your 50s, 60s, whatever. I just had that conception myself. That's why I was confused. I was like, I'll get over it. I can do this on my own. I don't need any help. I'll try and stop myself. So I would have always had that conception as well. That it's older people than it happens to.

6:05It doesn't happen to younger people. I want to bring John and John. Thank you for joining us. Can you tell me your story, please? I'm asked. Thanks for having us. Yeah. I'm actually a very similar story to Melanie there. I started drinking at 16, too. I thought that was quite late actually at the time. Really? It was way to everyone else that you knew in school how they started earlier than that. Yeah. 13 was kind of an age. A lot of people seemed to be starting 14. I really felt late to the game, which, saying that now, sounds kind of funny, but I had really wanted to start. It was just that my friend group weren't really doing it until that age. To me, drinking was the next big step into being like one of the older lads. I held it in this. I think I put it onto this pedestal in my head as this big grace happening that would really bring me to the next phase of life or whatever.

7:07In a sense, it was grace the first while. I had a lot of fun and carried on then into college. But as this was going on, there was problems cropping up in my life. I was regularly blacking out and I was kind of wrecking relationships. It was a number of things happening. As the years went on, I was tendent to repeat these things. At the center of everything, alcohol was there. I was never able to look towards alcohol as being the problem. The years went on, lots of people started slowing down. After college and stuff, I just kept going and going. I was unable to really imagine a life without alcohol. As soon as I moved abroad as well, kind of hoping this might be the answer. I might find some answers if I leave town for a while. In fact, it actually just kind of pushed the whole process.

8:11I was away from all of my usual drinking bodies and I was on my own more often. I was kind of confronted with the problem more. That's when I started drinking alone more often and going to pubs on my own. I was crossing all these lines that, over I would have said to myself, if I went drinking in a pub alone, that's probably a bad sign. But then there I was doing it. If you kept going and going until I got to a head and I couldn't take it anymore. That was when I decided to go into an AA meeting. In Ireland, nothing gets us talking like lions. Tea? Small talk. Well, Jimmy, shark and weather were up. Big talk. Even I got to play county. Office talk. I'm MIA in the AM, but I'll circle back on the KPIs. Real talk. Milk before tea? Should be a criminal offense. You could say we talk too much. But the truth is, we don't talk nearly enough.

9:15Lions. What's the talk? Into tea. From lashes for days with the viral liquid lash extensions mascara. To lift in color from the brilliant eye brightener, Thrive Cosmetics is the go-to for amplifying everyday looks. Plus, every product is 100% vegan, cruelty free, and made with clean skin loving ingredients that work with your skin. Amplify your everyday. Go to thrivecosmetics.com slash shine26 for an exclusive offer of 20% off your first order. Thrive Cosmetics. C-A-U-S-E-M-E-T-I-C-S.com slash shine26. How was that for you? It was a frightening nerve-wracking thing to do. You know, there's nobody that goes into their first day meeting gladly. And even then, I was going in not really knowing why I was going in. I kind of asked you. I was like, yeah, okay, I need to do something about this drink. But I still had in my head that I'd be able to go in and maybe learn a few tips and then go out again and be able to drink normally.

10:19But I quickly learned that that's not how it works. And the one thing I would say is that the first meeting I went into, the first thing that I couldn't really wrap my head around was the kindness and the warmth that I received from strangers. You know, they really cared for me from the get go. Look, there's something I want to ask both of you. And you'll feel free to say you're not going to answer it. But was there anything else John going on in your life that perhaps you were dealing with by way of using alcohol? Or do you just have to just by taking alcohol you fed into its grip? I would say both of those things. I did fall into its grip, but alcohol for me was a great way of not having to face a lot of the problems in life being able to escape. I felt deeply unhappy a lot of the time during my drinking and from a young age and I think alcohol was a brilliant antidote to that

11:20because it just turned down all the dials on my mood and my emotion and I didn't really have to face things. So it was a great escape and I didn't have to show up for life's challenges in a lot of ways. And how are you now? You're off to drink how long at the stage? Almost two years. And are you a happier person? I'm much happier person and I really sincerely can say that with certainty. It may sound like an exaggeration but I feel like a different person completely. And it didn't happen overnight and it's a process that's still unfolding. But the difference is like night and day. What about for you Melley? Was there something else maybe that you were using the alcohol to mask or was it just that having started an alcohol for enjoyment that it just got you into a physical addiction? I suppose when I like John, you know, I've ever seen the who said,

12:21really I can relate to. Yeah, so when I was 16, I suppose I just had really low self-esteem. You know, I didn't feel smart enough, didn't feel good enough. I suppose nothing even like throughout the years of drinking nothing really would have had to happen to me for me to to crave alcohol. Even when I was doing really well in life, that would actually make me want to drink even more. So it never really mattered the circumstances of what was going on. It's just it was there. But I suppose at this start when I first started, it would have been yeah, low self-esteem, low confidence and things like that. So that definitely helped and then just couldn't let go of that feeling then. What about the levels of health that's available because just to finish, I know this weekend we have the Ireland young people in AA convention in the sheer water hotel and ball in a slow. What sort of supports are available for people in their 20s who do want to who've realized early in life that they have a serious problem and need help?

13:22Yeah, so the convention is a great opportunity for any young person or any person, any age I suppose that wants to go. And I suppose it's just people which is great from all over the world that basically share their experience strength and hope with each other. And it's amazing opportunity for anyone to go and to have that experience and to see that there is a life beyond drink. There's actually there's people out there living every day so happy and sober. You know, sometimes I do have to pinch myself that I'm not craving. I'm not waking up in the morning thinking, oh my god, I can't wait for a drink. You know, it's, but it's doable. It's out there. And there's so many people that can offer help and support. And it's an amazing life and to live a sober life and be happy. It's just it is out there and for anyone can go to this convention. It's a great opportunity for anyone to go. Well, congratulations, Bolivia. I hope you both stay well. Thank you for telling us that story. And this event, Ireland young people in AA, is at the sheer water hotel and ball in a slow this weekend.

14:24The last word with life pharmacy over 100 local pharmacies nationwide that are always here to help life pharmacy live better together. Thank you very much.