The recommended maximum intake of alcohol for women is between two and three units a day, and no more than 14 units a week.
So
it is little wonder that Patricia Murphy - who drank up to 350 units
every week for 25 years - eventually ended up in hospital on a life
support machine with cirrhosis of the liver, or that she is now waiting
to be told if she'll need a liver transplant.
Patricia,
45, lives in Chessington, Surrey, and has been sober for seven months.
Feeling lucky to still be alive, the former sales assistant now wishes
to tell her story, hoping to warn other women about the dangers of
alcohol, the legal substance which ruined her life.
At death's door: Patricia Murphy, last November,
when her organs shut down as a result of cirrhosis of the liver and she
had developed blood poisoning
Patricia began drinking when she was 17, after leaving school to train as a sales assistant.
Naturally
shy, drinking made her feel confident among her peers, and soon she was
drinking 10 double brandy and Cokes at the weekends.
When
she started working in computer sales she was drinking alcohol every
night with colleagues- sometimes up to a litre of brandy.
Aged
28, both her parents died within five months of each other, and alcohol
became something with which she could numb her grief.
'Alcohol blocked the pain. I'd have a
glass of wine in the morning, then more throughout the day. I lived
alone so there was no one to stop me. I lost my job because of it.
'I
was so drunk I'd forgotten to turn up and couldn't hold down a routine.
My brothers and sisters told me to cut down, but I ignored them, I was
ashamed at how my life was turning out but I couldn't stop.'
Soon
she was drinking five bottles of wine every day, and waking up in the
middle of the night sweating and shaking. She used all of her benefits
money to buy alcohol, and spent all day watching TV and feeling
depressed.
The effects of alcohol: Patricia, who once hoped
to become a model, gained four stone and was left with a blotchy, puffy
face through drinking 350 units of alcohol a week
When, aged 35, she met her partner Graham, now 42, in a pub, she couldn't hide her addiction: Graham, an engineer, was teetotal.
Despite attending Alcoholics Anonymous
meetings,
Patricia visited the doctor last November and was told her liver was
seriously damaged
Graham's mother had been an
alcoholic, and he persuaded Patricia into rehab - but as soon as she got
out she headed straight to the off-license and bought a bottle of wine.
'We
had huge rows and split up for a few months. But he took me back. I
became a zombie, existing only for drink. I gained four stone and my
face was blotchy and puffy.'
Despite
attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and being admitted into rehab
twice over the next four years, Patricia visited the doctor last
November - after much persuasion by Graham - and was told her liver was
seriously damaged.
What a waste: Patricia was spending all her
money and time drinking wine, and now regrets not having had a career or
any children
She was taken to hospital with
cirrhosis and collapsed: while she was on life support Graham was told
there was a five per cent chance she'd survive. A priest came to read
her last rites.
'I feel so guilty about the hurt I've caused those closest to me, I'll always regret not having a career or children'
But against all the odds - and after a
10-week stay in hospital - Patricia was released. Despite her ordeal,
the first thing she did upon release was buy wine. Luckily, she was
disgusted with herself for doing it, and has been sober ever since.
'At
the moment, doctors are happy with my progress, but my life expectancy
will be affected. My liver is so scarred, iot will slowly stop
functioning.'
A scan in October will determine whether or not Patricia needs a liver transplant.
'I feel so guilty about the hurt I've caused those closest to me, I'll always regret not having a career or children.'
In the beginning: Patricia began drinking brandy
on weekends, but was soon drinking wine solidly throughout the day.
Read her whole story in Closer, out now.
dailymail.co.uk
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