Alcoholic sucked spilled pint from filthy pub carpet

A recovering alcoholic has recalled the clip helium drank a spilled pint from a "filthy" pub carpet with a straw.

Gene Davies, from Cwmaman, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said helium was astatine his lowest ebb aft processing a portion occupation successful his aboriginal teens.

The 50-year-old added his addiction grew arsenic a effect of performing successful bands astatine assorted workingmen's clubs crossed southbound Wales.

Now 5 years sober, helium wants to stock his communicative to pass others.

Some 45% of men and 34% of women study drinking supra the recommended guidelines, according to statistic from Public Health Wales.

Alcohol is besides the origin of astir 1,500 deaths a year, with the complaint higher successful the astir deprived areas of Wales.

"Growing up successful the valleys during the '80s, it was amazingly casual to get served whilst underage," said Gene, who started retired playing drums successful a radical called Silent Runner alongside Kelly Jones from Stereophonics.

"We'd extremity up necking flagons of lager portion the barroom unit turned a unsighted eye, and the stone and rotation showman successful maine astir apt meant I enactment distant much than most."

He said helium would stash bottles astir the household location truthful his parents wouldn't realise the grade of his problem, often taking agelong walks unsocial successful bid to indulge his habit.

Eventually kicked retired of assemblage for non-attendance and fired from a fig of unusual jobs, helium continued to propulsion himself into his music.

"In astir 2004 I was successful a set called Psychic Spies and we were owed to play immoderate pub successful Neath," said Gene.

"During the evening a mate of excavation dropped his afloat pint solid connected the floor, truthful I said to him, 'You can't discarded that' and marched to the barroom to get a straw.

"I past proceeded to get down connected each fours and suck up the contents from the filthiest, mankiest looking carpet you've ever seen.

"And to marque matters worse I already had a pint bought and waiting for maine connected the table.

"There were a batch of aghast faces connected the radical lasting nearby, I tin archer you."

At his worst Gene revealed helium was drinking astir 16 cans of lager a day, portion his value had ballooned to astir 15 chromatic (95.2kg).

"I was moving nighttime shifts arsenic a support stacker astatine the section supermarket backmost past and would often crook up determination disconnected my look too," helium added.

However, it would instrumentality years, and the consequent nonaccomplishment of his marriage, earlier what Gene calls his "moment of epiphany" - drunkenly falling retired of a bunkbed and practically scalping himself connected the thorax of drawers below.

"I'd been kicked retired of the location due to the fact that of my drinking and was lodging successful a mate's spare room," said Gene.

"I got up to spell to the toilet successful the aboriginal hours and rather forgot I was six feet up successful the air.

"I ended up hitting the furniture hard, wholly smashing it. And erstwhile I looked astatine my look successful the bath reflector it was covered successful blood.

"The tegument on my hairline had travel escaped and I could really spot my skull underneath."

Gene spent respective hours successful infirmary getting stitched up, but helium inactive has the selfie taken aboriginal that aforesaid time - 2 black, eyes, chopped chemoreceptor and blood-matted hairsbreadth - to punctual him of the autumn that caused his beingness to alteration for the better.

Since past helium hasn't touched truthful overmuch arsenic a driblet of alcohol.

Now moving astatine a newsagents and disconnected licence, helium said helium tin recognise acquainted tell-tale signs of addiction successful those who regularly travel successful to bargain booze.

"It's the aforesaid faces each the time; morning, noon and nighttime - immoderate adjacent inquire maine my proposal connected however to quit," helium said.

"I'm ne'er definite what to accidental to them though.

"Everyone is antithetic and lone they tin cognize erstwhile it's their clip to stop.

"They conscionable request to determine if it's thing they tin bash themselves oregon with the assistance of others."

Has helium ever been tempted to relapse himself?

"No, from the infinitesimal I stopped I conscionable realised I was done with each that," helium said.

"I don't miss it a spot - not the sensation and surely not the hangovers.

"Now I conscionable privation to beryllium the champion begetter to my small lad - who's seven-years-old and my full world.

"I besides privation to beryllium the champion instrumentalist I tin beryllium and, since quitting, my playing's drastically improved - successful fact, it's gone done the roof."

Gene recalled an aged acquaintance precocious coming into the store wherever helium works and recognising him from his drinking days.

"He asked maine if I was inactive partying, truthful I told him 'no' and that I'd been sober for 5 years.

"He paused, smiled and past replied, 'Still, you gave it a bloody bully spell though, didn't you'?"

"And I thought, 'You're right, I did'. I'm conscionable gladsome those times are down maine now."

If you person been affected by immoderate of the issues successful this story, the BBC Action Line has links to organisations which tin connection enactment and advice.