Having lost my dad a few months ago, I have decided to take part in a sky dive to raise money for the charity Alcohol Change UK.

And because I have started this fundraiser, I feel I owe it to share an overall of my dad’s story.

When I think of an “alcoholic” or someone with an alcohol problem, like many others, I picture someone who is always drunk, doesn't make much sense when talking and drinks from the minute they wake up until they pass out. And although this description definitely meets the definition of an alcoholic, someone with a drinking problem can seem the complete opposite to this.

My dad didn’t reach for a drink every morning, he didn’t drink everyday and he didn’t rely on alcohol. He still had an alcohol problem.

He went to work everyday without drinking, he showered everyday and wore smart clothes. He still had an alcohol problem.

Though I’d prefer to not go into detail, my dad didn’t drink every day but he still drank - a lot! But because on the surface he appeared to be fine, nobody knew what it would lead to.

On December 2023, my dad told me he had been given 2 years to live, a year ago. Meaning he had a year left. He had still been drinking after he was diagnosed, after he was told another drink could kill him. The only chance of survival he had, was a liver transplant. And even after being told this, nobody believed he would die. We thought he’d get a transplant and all would be fine.

Months went on, he told us he was on the transplant list and overall he seemed okay.. all up until he wasn’t. He was never on the transplant list. He knew what was happening and couldn’t face telling us.

There’s so many things I wish I had said and done. I wish he could have found the strength to be completely honest from the beginning, so I knew how bad it was and could be there for him as much as I could.

Nothing I can do will change our story. But sharing our story and raising awareness may help somebody else.

I love my dad more than he will ever know 💙