Heartbeat: Patient set for Christmas with family after support from our alcohol team

December 21, 2018

L-R Alcohol Lead Nurse Arlene Copland, Lynn Peniket (Rachel’s mother), and patient Rachel Bassett

Depressed and jobless, Rachel Bassett reached for the phone to call her GP to beg for help with her addiction to alcohol. Although she doesn’t remember making that life-changing phone call four months ago, she is now on the road to recovery – and has quit booze, thanks to our alcohol team.

Rachel’s life had spiralled out of control two years ago when she felt she could no longer function without a pint of cider in her hand.

“Cider was my world. I loved it so much I’d buy bottles of the stuff and down seven litres a day,” said Rachel, whose weight had plummeted to just six stone.

“It got to a point where I started feeling that I couldn’t function normally without a drink.”

During her lowest ebb, married Rachel, from West Bromwich, would wake up and reach for a pint of cider, and always fall asleep with a drink in her hand. Eventually, she was left housebound and could barely lift herself up. She would crawl up the stairs ‘like a toddler’ as she struggled to move her legs.

Rachel was also diagnosed with malnutrition and would survive on one can of soup – every four days. Holding back her tears, Rachel explained: “It was a dark time. My husband, Martin, desperately tried to help me. He would encourage me give up the booze and eat healthy food, but I didn’t listen to him.

“I would pour some soup into a bowl and leave it in the sink to make it look like that I had eaten. In fact I didn’t touch a drop.”

As a teenager, she began drinking with her friends and for many years it remained a harmless social habit.

“It was fun at first,” she recalled. “I always liked drinking when I went out with my friends. I was the one that kept asking people to have one more drink. I was the last one to leave the party.”

But as her drinking habit became worse, Rachel also developed mental health problems.

“I became anxious and depressed. I worried about everything. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the house. Even going for a meal with my family and friends would terrify me.

“When I did my shopping, I just hoped that no one would start talking to me. Sometimes I felt like dropping all my bags and running out of the shop.

“I was afraid of everything and I just wanted to stay in my bedroom. I closed the curtains, curled myself up in bed, and drank cider.”

Rachel was sacked as a result of her addiction. Now looking back, she is thankful to her former employers for her dismissal.

“It was a real wake up call,” explained Rachel.

“A few weeks later, I was in my room and I called my GP to ask for help. To this day, I still don’t remember making that call, but it changed my life completely.

“I was then referred to the alcohol team at City Hospital. My mum took me to the appointment the next day, and a new chapter in my life began.”

After her initial assessment with the team, it was decided that Rachel needed to be admitted to City Hospital for detox treatment.

Arlene Copland, Lead Nurse, said: “The treatment involved Rachel having to stop drinking alcohol immediately. She also had to take medication to help her cope with the withdrawal symptoms and was admitted into hospital for a week.”

Rachel added: “It was a very difficult time. I remember I was desperate to go home. But my family, friends, and the hospital staff were so supportive. They helped me to remember what I wanted to achieve.

“Since undergoing treatment, I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol and I am determined that it stays this way.

“I feel that I have got myself back. I’m much happier now than I was six months ago. I don’t feel worried or anxious. I now go out for meals with my family and friends. I have gained two stone and have so much more energy. I spend most of my days cooking and baking.