Скачать или смотреть My 50 year journey to find sobriety

Welcome to today’s episode. I’m Stephen, and for the next few minutes, I want to share something deeply personal—my journey with alcohol. I started drinking when I was just 14. In those days, rules were more relaxed, and I could get served in pubs even though I was underage. But it wasn’t just about having a drink. There were reasons behind it.

As a teenager, I struggled at school. You see, I’m autistic, and the academic environment just wasn’t designed for someone like me. Teachers didn’t understand how to work with my strengths, and instead of nurturing what I was good at, they often ignored it. That made me feel disconnected, like I didn’t fit in. So, instead of going to school, I bunked off and turned to alcohol to cope.

By the time I was 34, I realised I had an alcohol use disorder. My priorities had shifted—family, finances, responsibilities—all came second to alcohol. It was the constant in my life. I tried to stop many times, but my heart wasn’t really in it. I liked drinking, and that’s the hard truth. I wasn’t ready to stop because, as I learned along the way, you have to want it for yourself—not just because someone says you should.

I spent the next 30 years trying. My best streak was 30 days sober, but it never lasted. I took risks, and sometimes it was more about the safety concerns, like drink-driving, that pushed me to try and quit.

Then, at 64, I joined TikTok. Not because I expected much, but because I felt it was time to really stop. There were two reasons that drove me. First, I had abnormal liver test results, a wake-up call. I knew if I didn’t stop drinking, the damage could be irreversible. The second reason was my granddaughter. She was seven years old, and I wanted to be there for her as she grew up—be a part of those important moments like her first job, her first partner, maybe even her own family one day.

What I didn’t expect was the overwhelming support I received. My first video journal drew 1,000 people who understood what I was going through, and their support made all the difference. Within a week, that number grew to 10,000. Their encouragement made me accountable, and I started hitting milestones—three months, six months, a year, then three years sober.

Sure, I fell off the wagon a couple of times, but I’ve learned that those stumbles don’t define you. What matters is getting back up. In the past three years, I’ve saved over £21,000—money that would have gone straight to alcohol. But more than the financial savings, I’ve gained my life back. I’ve learned new skills and reconnected with the things I had missed for so long.

To anyone listening right now, struggling with their own relationship with alcohol, I want you to know this: if I can do it after 50 years of heavy drinking, then you can too. You don’t have to do it alone. Find your reason, find your support, and take it one day at a time. It’s never too late to make that change.

Thank you for listening, and remember—you’re stronger than you think.

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