The Slow Descent Into Problem Drinking She Never Saw Coming | Emma's Story

*Trigger warning-This show has discussions around suicide*

How do you know when drinking has crossed the line from “I drink a lot” to “I have a problem”?

In this episode of One For The Road, Sober Dave is joined by Emma Walsh, who shares how her relationship with alcohol slowly progressed from social drinking to drinking two, sometimes nearly three bottles of wine a night.

From the outside, Emma had built a successful life — a career, a marriage and two young children. But underneath it all, she was struggling with anxiety, depression, imposter syndrome and a deep sense of not knowing who she really was.

As drinking became her way of coping with difficult emotions, the consequences began to grow. Blackouts, risky decisions, overwhelming hangovers and constant negotiations with herself about how much she would drink became part of everyday life. Yet for a long time, Emma still didn’t believe she had a problem with alcohol.

Everything began to change when a friend told Emma she had stopped drinking and encouraged her to educate herself about alcohol. Emma started listening to recovery podcasts and, for the first time, began recognising herself in the stories she was hearing.

The realization finally hit her: “I just thought I was drinking a lot. But I never realized I had a problem.”

If you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/

or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/

Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice.

www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-services

https://nacoa.org.uk/

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