Navigate to
Sabrina’s Story: “Turning Point has helped me changed my life around.”
Sabrina struggled with alcohol for many years and had found it was starting to negatively affect her behaviour and lead to poor decision making.
Wanting to make a change, she reached out to Turning Point for support.
Sabrina came worked one-to-one with a key worker and joined the alcohol resolution clinic group to better understand what triggered her drinking and build up the confidence to make long lasting changes.
Sabrina then went on to take part in the next steps aftercare programme delivered by Turning Point’s partner organisation Dear Albert.
Today, Sabrina is proud of being twelve months abstinent from alcohol.
“Turning Point has helped me changed my life around. I have completed my recovery journey, and I just want to give back and help others now,” she said.
Her recovery has inspired her to support others, and she now volunteers as a peer mentor and service user representative at Turning Point.
Jane’s story: The power of early intervention
Jane’s journey with Turning Point began when she attended a community event offering free FibroScan liver health checks. She was surprised when her results came back and showed borderline fibrosis, indicating the early stages of liver damage.
Turning Point staff were able to explain the results in a supportive and non-judgemental way, offer harm reduction advice and discuss other positive lifestyle changes she might benefit from.
Ten months later, after stopping drinking and making other healthy lifestyle changes, Jane returned for a second FibroScan.
Not only did the second scan show that her liver no longer showed any signs of fibrosis, the healthy changed had also led to her reversing her diabetes.
Jo Hall, Senior Operations Manager at Turning Point's Leicestershire & Rutland service, said:
"Jane's story shows how impactful early intervention can be. Community events enable Turning Point to reach people and communities who may not otherwise access treatment services or recognise that they are part of an at-risk group.”
As part of Alcohol Awareness Week, the team at Turning Point’s Leicestershire & Rutland Service have held several drop-in clinics across the county providing free FibroScans and harm reduction advice.
Jim’s story: Cutting down and finding balance
For Jim, alcohol had always been a part of his social life and work culture.
Working as an office administrator, he regularly met colleagues and said he “always enjoyed a pint with mates after work and I never thought alcohol was a problem.”
“But as I have got older, I started to realise that I was drinking every night, buying increasing amounts of alcohol every time I went to the supermarket and that I needed a drink to relax every night.”
Over time, Jim began to notice the impact that drinking was having on both his physical health and mental wellbeing.
“Alcohol made me put on a lot of weight and started to make a good night sleep almost impossible as I was always waking up with a cloudy head feeling.”
In 2025, he contacted Turning Point’s Didcot service for support to reduce his alcohol consumption.
“They were great and it was helpful to have a supportive person who helped me cut down my daily drinking,” he said.
“I started with a couple of drink free days a week and they helped me understand how alcohol has a bigger impact on people as they get older and to look at all the benefits for my health, wellbeing and my family”
Today, Jim still enjoys a drink socially, but alcohol no longer plays the centre role it once did.
"I still enjoy a pint, but I am definitely a social drinker now who does not reach for a bottle every time I get home from work."
Jim now gives back by working as a voluntary peer mentor at Turning Point.
Throughout Alcohol Awareness Week, Turning Point Oxfordshire have held a series of events at different locations around the county including Temple Square Shopping Centre in Oxford, Orchard Centre in Didcot, Banbury Town Centre and at a number of workplaces.
David’s story: Rebuilding life during recovery
David (not his real name) considered himself a social drinker for many years.
However, as work pressures increased, alcohol gradually became a daily coping mechanism for stress.
Over time, his alcohol use began to have a significant impact on his personal life, contributing to the breakdown of his marriage and worsening his mental health which resulted in multiple lengthy hospital admissions.
Following his fourth hospital admission, the multi-disciplinary team referred David to Mildmay Hospital, where he was medically stabilised before being transferred directly to a 14-week residential rehabilitation programme.
Since completing residential rehab, David has continued to engage positively with Turning Point and mutual aid meetings. He has now been abstinent from alcohol for more than a year.
Recovery has enabled him to rebuild important relationships with his family, while engaging well with Talking Therapies for counselling support.
Today, David is involved with the Lived Experience Recovery Organisation (LERO) and is considering becoming a service user council representative, using his lived experience to support others on their recovery journey.
Recovery looks different for everyone
These four stories show that there is no single experience of alcohol use, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to recovery.
For some, support focuses on cutting down and creating heathier habits. For others, it may involve specialist treatment or longer-term care. Sometimes, accessing essential support starts with a simple conversation, a moment of self-reflection, or a health check at a community event.
This Alcohol Awareness Week, we’ve been encouraging people to consider what the theme “Alcohol and Me” means to them. Exploring relationships with alcohol might feel uncomfortable, confronting, or even a little daunting. But if you feel it might be the right time to learn more, get advice or take a step forward for change, support is available.
For further resources and information about Alcohol Awareness Week, visit: Alcohol Awareness Week - ‘Alcohol and Me’ | Turning Point