'I turned to prostitution to fund my alcohol addiction': Student, 22, reveals how she became hooked on alcopops at 15 and ended up consuming 100 units in one DAY

A university student has admitted turning to prostitution to fund her alcohol addiction.
Emma Gould became hooked on alcopops at just 15 years old and was soon downing up to 100 units a day - 86 more than the recommended weekly amount for women.
The 22-year old, from Ipswich, has even admitted she spent a £30 per week Education Maintenance Allowance to fund her addiction, which saw her downing seven cans of lager a week at school between lessons to cope with exam and essay stress.

Former binge drinker Emma Gould has revealed how she turned to prostitution to fund her addiction to alcohol

Miss Gould aged 20 on a student night out during the worst of her addiction in 2011 in Norwich. Emma started drinking at age 15 and was soon getting drunk on alcopops every weekend

She said she turned to prostitution after wasting a staggering £3,000 of her student loan on her binges - which could include two litres of vodka, a bottle of wine, a litre of cider and six cans of lager.
Miss Gould, who spent 10 months in rehab, said: 'I'm disgusted by what I did. I was putting myself in terrible danger, but I was so desperate - that's what addiction can do.'
By the time she left home at 18 to study Biomedicine at university she was dependent on alcohol and  admitted her binges lead to 18 one-night stands by the time she was 21.

She said: 'I thought people preferred me tipsy - I was a fun drunk. Once I drank vodka in the morning to cope with a presentation and it became a habit.
'I'd wake up with the shakes and nausea until I drank. I'd stumble into lectures but sit quietly so no one noticed.
'I might have two litres of vodka, a bottle of wine, a litre of cider and six cans of lager, starting at 7am and downing more between lectures in the loos. On those days I'd usually collapse into bed at 6pm nable to stand.'
Miss Gould said while her university grades soon plummeted she managed to keep up her attendance and fool her friends and family by disguising her pallid skin with makeup.

Then and now:  Emma Gould at 15 (left) when her alcohol addiction started and now (right) fully recovered

A photograph of Emma Gould aged 20 on a student night out. She said she turned to prostitution after wasting a staggering £3,000 of her student loan on her binges

But by November 2011 Emma had spent all her money on alcohol and resorted to desperate measure to get her next fix.
She said: 'It sounds crazy looking back, but I started thinking about having sex for money. Initially it was unthinkable. But it felt like my only option, my withdrawal symptoms were unbearable.'
After downing almost two litres of vodka, Emma went to Ipswich's red light zone - the area where serial killer Steven Wright murdered five prostitutes in 2006.

She said: 'I felt a little nervous, but I wasn't scared. The drink gave me more confidence. It was freezing cold so I wore leggings, pumps and a nice top underneath my coat, hoping to appear inconspicuous.'
Within an hour Emma had been picked up by a 50-year-old man in a suit who paid her £50 to have sex in his car. Incredibly, she was too drunk to insist on a condom.
She said: 'I refused to kiss him and hated feeling his hands all over me, but I tried to block it out. After half an hour he drove me back. I felt so dirty but made myself wait for another customer.'

Her marathon sessions could include which could include two litres of odka, a bottle of wine, a litre of cider and six cans of lager

Miss Gould then performed a sex act on another man for £50 and the next night returned to sleep with two more men who also paid her £50 each.
A week later she broke down and returned home to her parents but kept her prostitution a secret.
She said: 'Mum was in tears - and Dad was so disappointed. They promised to help me but I felt like such a failure.'
In January 2012 she finally had her 'wake-up call' when she was rushed to hospital after vomiting blood. Doctors found her stomach lining had been destroyed by the alcohol.

Now Emma Miss Gould has been teetotal for ten months and turned her life around with the help of new boyfriend Matthew Noble, a 26-year-old IT technician, who she met online.
And she has finally been able to confide in her mother about her prostitution.
She said: 'Mum cried and thinks she was a bad parent, but I only have myself to blame. I hate who I was then - it's as if it was someone else.'
She added: 'I want to show that alcoholism can happen to anyone. I come from a good background, but my addiction took over and I'm so ashamed I turned to prostitution.

'You might think you're in control of your drinking, but I'm proof it can spiral out of control. I'm learning to forgive myself and trying to leave the past behind me.'

Now Emma Miss Gould has been teetotal for ten months and turned her life around with the help of new boyfriend Matthew Noble (left), a 26-year-old IT technician, who she met online

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