For Alcohol Awareness Week, Jason, a volunteer on the alcohol team at Wirral Ways, shares three signs from his own experience that alcohol had become a problem.
- Drinking at any time, for any reason
“Alcohol became a problem for me. I would drink at any time. It didn’t really matter what the occasion was, it didn’t really matter what time it was. If I could get my hands on the alcohol, I would drink.”
- Prioritising alcohol over everything else
“I would always make sure there was alcohol there ready for the next day, just so I’d have to wake up to it. I would also put alcohol before my children, and make excuses that I couldn’t arrange to pick them up, which was really, really bad for me. I’d put appointments off if they were early in the morning, so I wasn’t shaking, or so I wasn’t drunk by the afternoon.”
- Promising yourself “this is my last drink”, and not meaning it
“I would always say to myself, I’m going to stop drinking Monday. This is definitely my last drink, I’m not drinking anymore. But I knew for a fact it wasn’t. And when Monday came, I’d be back on the drink again, because that’s what I liked to do. I did enjoy the drinking, but I knew it was killing me.”
Jason has been at Wirral Ways for nearly four and a half years, starting on reception before moving to the alcohol team around two years ago. He now runs groups on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, work that’s also been part of his own recovery.
“This is part of my recovery, to be honest. It’s helped me in my journey and it’s helped me get strong. I just love giving back to other people.”
If any of this sounds familiar, come and talk to us.
Find out more: www.wirralways.org.uk | wirral.services@cgl.org.uk | 0151 556 1335
Last Updated on 25 August 2026